Playing with Matches: A Digimon Inferno Prequel
by BlackHawkNova
Summary: A prequel miniseries to Inferno about the very first tamers... It was an accident, where two worlds clashed for the first time; an accident that would forever change the fates of both worlds, and set off chain after chain of events that would one day lead to Ragnarok. It was an accident that serves as the very beginning of our saga. Watch your hands, or you're gonna get burned...
1. Episode 1: The Other Side

_**Digimon Inferno: Playing with Matches**_

 _ **Episode 1: The Other Side**_

* * *

 _Seven digital years prior..._

* * *

 _They called it the Echo Quadrant. Close to Yggdrasil's roots it lay, isolated and inaccessible to all but the most powerful and determined of forces. Around its borders lay harsh drops into who knows where, and terrible jetstreams of data, swirling and disorientating any who would dare step in their way._

 _Yet within, life went on as normal. Digimon lived and Digimon died as Digimon do. They had no reason to escape their little pocket world within a world, nor to yearn for more. Around the edges of this pocket world, the earth itself swelled and rippled, sending up huge pillars and walls that shifted constantly._

 _And on that day, on the highest and harshest of these pillars, from the centre of the great spiralling structure, came the roar._

 _It was a roar of pain, and it resonated throughout the keep; raw, visceral, and harsh. It rumbled through the ground, and was carried by the wind across the shifting stones, and was heard for miles around, causing the village residents from all around the quadrant to stop, frown, and wonder which hapless individual had been caught by the Nightmare Soldiers this time._

 _The keep itself was thrown into disarray; administrators and secretaries, all running around, trying to find the source. They rushed to the front entrance, rear entrance, and all the surrounding area in an attempt to find and destroy the intruder._

 _In all the chaos, it was an intern who reached Dallurmon's office first. She was a pale Falcomon; ruff-necked, thick-footed and with a notch in her beak. She entered the room, and went on through, forgetting the proper etiquette in her panic._

" _My lord...?"_

 _She looked down, and froze. Blood. A pool of it, blue like ink, and seeping outwards, from behind the mercuric pool, and near the mirrored door at the end of the office._

 _Dallurmon was hunched over on his knees, letting out terrifying gasps and rocking back and forth, as blood poured from the stump where his right arm had been. It was laid out on the ground, still twitching, and still gripping a long, twisted pipe, which was humming slightly, the engravings on the metal faintly glowing._

 _"My lord! No!"_

 _Falcomon rushed forwards, her feathered claws at her mouth. "We need to get you to safety! To...to the medics! They will-"_

 _"...close...the door..."_

 _"My lord-"_

 _The Digimon raised his voice, spitting blood. "CLOSE THE DOOR!"_

 _Falcomon jumped, but complied, pushing the heavy metal door backwards. The sounds of commotion above and below were blocked out, and the two of them were left in silence, save for the sound of Dallurmon's ragged breathing. The blood was still spreading, already staining the marbled floor. Falcomon clenched her talons. "Lord Dallurmon...what happened?"_

 _"Not...important..." Dallurmon gritted his teeth, and moved his left arm away from beneath his bloodstained cloak. A sword clattered to the ground, and he kicked it away, before backing up against a wall, his breathing growing more wretched._

 _Falcomon took a step, but he raised his palm, shaking his head. "No...no..."_

 _He swallowed. "Child...can I trust you...?"_

 _She nodded, standing stock-still. Dallurmon exhaled, and pointed, and her eyes followed his gesture to the arm still twitching on the floor._

 _"Take it. Take it away, and be rid of it. Hide it. Bury it. Toss it into the sea. I must not see it again for as long as I live."_

 _Falcomon shook her head. "I don't understand...you can't mean, your divine right hand-"_

 _"I do! Of course I do! You must get rid of it!" Dallurmon stared up at the ceiling, his tattoos glowing a deep crimson. "I have had a vision. That infernal device will bring about the end of this world. I should have seen it, but it blinded me. It must be lost, far away." He pulled off his cloak, reached forward and thrust it into Falcomon's grasp. "Take it! Now! Before it blinds me again. Go through the window. Get out of here."_

 _The appendage was still now. Falcomon ground her beak, ran forwards and scooped it up in her wings, smothering it in the cloth. She looked back, to where Dallurmon was sat back, his head tilted._

 _"It'll be okay, my lord. I promise."_

 _With the bloodstained cloak tied around her neck, she flung herself from the parapet, gliding roughly but slowly down the thermals beyond. Dallurmon watched as she went, feeling the stump of his right arm still pumping blue blood._

 _"It will destroy this world...it will bring about the end...the end by my hand..."_

 _There was a banging at the door; shifting it, ever so slightly, and slowly. Dallurmon smiled. As the great metal door burst open and his servants finally made their way inside, he slipped into blissful unconsciousness._

* * *

 _Somerset, England._

 _April 20_ _th_ _, 1954_

* * *

She stood by the bus stop as cars rushed past from both directions, throwing grit up in her direction, much to her disgust. She stayed well back, looking left and right and holding her elbows as her feet pattered against the ground.

She was alone at the bus stop, nicely dressed up although she had no idea why. She was tall for her age, with a round face and chestnut brown hair rigged up in a high ponytail, and oblong glasses which kept falling down her nose. She wore a yellow shirt and a sleeveless vest over the top, covered in red and white diamonds. Her feet danced upon the pavement in neat red shoes and knee-length socks, and around her wrist she wore a golden friendship bracelet with a bright pink heart. A bracelet from a friend who, as far as it seemed, was decidedly absent.

This was ridiculous. She didn't know why she'd let herself be talked into this, but in the end her curiosity had won out. Besides, anything to get away from those dreaded aunts waiting for her back home. And, she reminded herself, she had integrity. She'd promised to be here and she would be here. Even if her friend was ridiculously late.

"Lizzie! You lovely person!"

Lizzie Taylor turned and found herself embraced in the gallootish hug of her best friend Yvonne. The first girl squirmed, waving her hands uncomfortably. "You're late."

Yvonne pulled back, and grinned. "I told you the other bus stop!"

"You definitely didn't."

"Really?" Yvonne scratched the back of her head, her round cheeks flushing. "My bad."

Yvonne was a good deal shorter than Lizzie, with a good deal less in the way of fashion sense. She wore a pretty blue and green dress over which was draped a drab brown flying jacket that was several sizes too big for her, patched at one elbow. Her ginger hair was neatly tied up in twin pigtails, but that too was smothered by the grey flying helmet loosely balanced over it, and the pair of goggles permanently attached to her head. Her eyes had a golden hue to them, and she had a permanent grin. Lizzie found herself smiling hesitantly from the girl's very presence, and she pulled her hands down, fingering her bracelet. "Are we heading off then?"

"Mm-hmm."

Lizzie set off, and so did Yvonne...in the opposite direction. Lizzie stopped, and stood, dumbfounded. "I thought we were going to the shops!"

"In a bit. I wanted to show you something first. Something cool."

Exasperated, Lizzie rushed forwards, scowling, "I do wish you wouldn't change the plans!"

"It's not far from here." Yvonne turned and started walking backwards down the village path, pointing towards the metal gate not one hundred yards away. "Come on, it'll be fun! I told him we'd be coming."

"This is going to be the blasted badger in the shed all over again. You always do this to me." Lizzie muttered under her breath, but she started walking regardless before her friend got too far out of sight.

"And what do you mean, 'him'?"

* * *

'Him' turned out to be a 'them'; a group of people not too far away. Yvonne led Lizzie over the beaten pathways, then further into the bracken and long grass (and through, Lizzie noted, several nettle patches which she felt very ill-equipped for). Finally the two of them emerged in a clearing, amidst a collection of discarded metal and old wire fencing, hanging off its stakes like torn wrapping paper. Four other children stood alongside it, and the nearest one - a stocky black youth in a cream sweatshirt, with dark brown eyes and even darker hair - turned to face them both. He smiled, and waved. "Hi Yvonne."

"Ali." Yvonne tipped her helmet. "Sorry we're late. Wrong bus stop."

The boy put his hands in his pockets, and turned away. "Do you have to call me Ali in front of everyone?"

"Ali?" Lizzie was suddenly behind Yvonne, and she clasped her hands together out of instinct. She glanced sideways at her partner. "You know him?"

"Oh, be sociable for once." Yvonne stepped back, grabbed the boy's hand and thrust it into her friend's, pulling the both of them up and down. "This is Alasdair. I've known him since I was a kid."

Alasdair rolled his eyes, and gave Lizzie a weary, knowing smile. "Yeah, I'm as used to her ways as you probably are."

Yvonne placed her hands in her pockets, and swayed, before looking at the other kids. "So, um...who are they? I wasn't expecting anyone else."

The other three were being decidedly less social about the whole affair. One was a very young Pakistani boy, about six or seven, in a white polo shirt and grey shorts. He stood with his arms folded against the fence, looking the other way with a stroppy expression. Lizzie noticed a plaster on his right cheek, and another on his right elbow. He huffed, and walked a few steps further away.

The other two were girls. One was tall and skinny, and wore a deep blue, ankle length dress, baggy at the sleeves but really quite pretty. Her black hair was full and impossibly curly, reaching just down to her shoulders, and just above her left eye she wore a small golden hairpin in the shape of a butterfly. She stood, gazing around everywhere except for the new arrivals with a look of utter distraction. Lizzie wondered if she'd even noticed they'd arrived. Presently the girl sneezed, and their eyes finally met; hers were a deep, forest green. She smiled, but said nothing.

The other girl was younger again, possibly around eight, and bordering on pudgy. She wore a loose shirt and a green skirt, and carried herself awkwardly; more awkwardly than the other two. She met Lizzie's gaze, and her hand went to the opposite forearm, gripping tightly. Her features were rounded; a curved chin, deep-red shoulder-length hair, and startlingly blue eyes that darted from left to right.

Alasdair walked over to the younger girl, putting a hand on her shoulder. "This is Rachel. My neighbour. I did tell you about her, I promise."

Yvonne shrugged, and waved frantically, which only caused the girl to look more concerned. Alasdair sighed.

"Sorry, she gets nervous."

He nodded at Rachel, who gingerly raised a hand. "Hello."

Her English was clear, if a bit stilted, but she hunched her shoulders as she spoke. Lizzie waved a hand over towards the other two. "And these two?"

Alasdair looked slightly less confident. He rolled his eyes towards the boy, who was now playing with the dirt at his feet. "That's Joel. He's also our neighbour. He demanded to come."

"I've got nothing to do!" Joel pouted by the fence, and glared at Alasdair. "This is boring! You're all boring!"

"Thank. You." Alasdair looked behind him, to where the other girl had wandered off into the grass. "That's Lucy. She's...um...she's a friend. We let her come along. Or...she came along herself."

Lucy still seemed on an utterly different plane of existence, currently biting her fingernails as she peered down towards her feet. Alasdair smiled sheepishly. "We don't mind if you don't."

Joel folded his arms. "I mind. I'm not hanging around with weird kids."

"Shut up! Or I'll send you home!"

"Make me."

As the two boys began squabbling, Yvonne felt a tap on her shoulder, and turned towards Lizzie. The taller girl leant forward, whispering into Yvonne's ear and sending glances towards the four other kids. Yvonne's brow furrowed, and she pulled Lizzie back, whispering back aggressively.

"Don't start, alright?"

"You didn't say though!"

"I shouldn't have to! Does it matter?"

"Just..." Another glance over from Lizzie. "You said a friend. You didn't say...everyone here."

Yvonne reached up and flicked her best friend in the forehead. "You're being silly. Trust me, it's all fine. It's just something cool and I thought you might want to see."

"You mean _you_ wanted to see."

"And I thought I'd be generous and invite you."

She became aware of Alasdair and Rachel staring at the two of them, and grinned, before frowning herself. "We don't mind, Ali. Promise one, bring four; what's the harm in that?"

The boy folded his arms. "Well, you seem to have brought someone extra yourself."

"I told you about Lizzie."

"Not her." Alasdair tilted his head. "Who's that then?"

"Huh?"

The two girls turned around, and there was a short yelp as somebody fell back into the bushes with an undignified thump.

The group waited. There was a pause, then the grass shuffled, and a boy stood up, adjusting his glasses and brushing his trousers down. "I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

Lizzie blinked. "George? What are you doing here?"

"I live here." The boy pointed back over his shoulder. "My dad owns the estate back there. I was just passing by; I overheard you all and was...interested. What are you all doing here?"

George Westland was a smart, if short and somewhat portly lad. His dirty blonde hair was cropped close to his head, and he wore huge, rounded glasses which didn't seem quite good enough for him, as he was often squinting. He wore a green shirt and striped waistcoat, and pale trousers with smartly laced shoes. He held himself straight, even if he was quite a bit shorter than everyone except the two youngest members of the posse. He scratched his chin. "Do you have room for one more?"

Yvonne looked over at Lizzie, who had gone a little pink by this point. There was another short yelp as Lucy became the second person to take a tumble in the long grass, her body disappearing in an instant. Alasdair looked between George and the two girls, and sighed.

"Again, I don't mind if you don't."

"The more the merrier." Yvonne folded her arms. "This thing you promised me had better be worth it."

Alasdair folded his arms, looking decidedly unsure. "I'm counting on that myself."

"I think so. Dad's proud of it."

Lizzie looked down at Rachel, who had spoken. "Dad?"

The younger girl spoke quietly, so much so that the others had to gather in somewhat to hear her clearly.

"I think it's cool at any rate. My dad's been working hard on it. He's a scientist." She pointed. "His lab's over that way a short distance, beyond the fence. Do you all want to come?"

Joel folded his arms, and squinted. "Sounds boring."

Rachel just gave a side-smile. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

She and the other five trudged off, through the great metal gate in the fence and across the lab grounds. Joel gave a tsk, before running after them.

* * *

The lab in question was larger than everybody expected. Located off the beaten path, it was a group of red brick buildings and a few circular aircraft hangars slightly further away, now growing over with ivy. In fact most of the buildings seemed to be derelict, with the exception of a few near the centre.

Rachel led the six other children towards one of them, skipping through the long grass as if she'd done this a thousand times. The others weren't so lucky; George, Lizzie, and especially Lucy oft fell afoul of sneaky roots beneath the feet and nettle patches. By the time they finally reached a clear spot, half of them had been half ripped to shreds already. George stood with his hands on his knees, very out of breath.

"This seems awfully out of the way. Even for a government building."

Rachel shrugged. "My father's used it for a while. Him and a few others, but mostly him. He's clever."

Lizzie stuck her hands behind her back. "Clever but lacking in common sense." She nudged Yvonne, and whispered again into her ear. "Let's keep it quick, alright? I'm expected back home."

Yvonne shushed her. "It'll be fine. It'll be fun. Have a sense of adventure for once."

Lizzie was not convinced, and she wasn't the only one. Alasdair was looking decidedly anxious, looking all around at the wild growth. "Rachel, are you positive this place is safe?"

Rachel stopped next to a door, and smiled. "I come here all the time."

She walked through without another word, ringing a bell within. Alasdair bit his lower lip. "Not exactly what I asked but...oh well."

He noticed Lucy and George wandering around, and gave a quick whistle. "Let's just stay together for the moment, alright? And we shouldn't touch anything. I don't know what's in there."

George tilted his head. "Is it dangerous?"

"I just said, I don't know."

"Hello? Rachel?"

The door opened once again, and a man stepped out. Despite being at least in his forties he wasn't much taller than she was, with rough, calloused skin and even rougher, tired eyes. His near-white hair was very sparse, limited really to two tufts above his ears, and a messy moustache. His clothes were equally dishevelled; a threadbare jumper over torn cuffs, and stained grey trousers. He held a half-twisted wire in one hand and a half-eaten ham roll in the other.

"Hi, you must...oh...um...hi?"

His accent was a lot rougher than his daughters, but it had the same hushed tone. Obviously a man used to giving and taking commands. He looked confused, and turned around, looking down at Rachel. "Rachel? Are these friends of yours?"

"I invited Alasdair along, and then he asked someone else and..." She trailed off, and looked back, blushing somewhat. "There are seven of us now. It got out of hand."

Alasdair shrugged, looking embarrassed. "My fault. I'm sorry, sir."

Her father stood in the doorway, slightly dumbfounded. A rogue piece of ham was gently slipping from the side of his roll.

"All of you...want to see inside? In here?"

Yvonne nodded. "Yes please. We were told there was something cool in here."

"Technically...this...is a government building. I don't think I should be letting children in."

"Oh please!" Rachel grinned, and grabbed his sleeve. "Please show them the D-Port."

"Alright, alright, shush..." Dr Glover looked up at the sky, and squinted. "I...don't usually agree to things like this you know. It's my private research."

"But-"

"You did sort of spring it on me. About two minutes ago."

Rachel shuffled. "I thought you wanted people to see what you were doing..."

The man laughed, finally dropping the bit of ham from his sandwich. "Don't worry, Rachel. It's not like the government cares what's going on here anyway. I don't mind company now and then; it's just me working here at the moment." He turned to the others, who were still waiting in the long grass. He beckoned with a finger. "Come on then, I give in. You've come all the way out here after all. Would you like me to show you around?"

* * *

Dr Glover's lab was very much what you'd expect from the appearance of the man himself. Wires, circuit boards and punch cards littered every conceivable corner. Adorning the walls were sheets of paper covered with barely legible handwriting and diagrams. A rusted vent on the wall made a gentle whirring sound, but despite that the room was almost uncomfortably hot. Dr Glover himself was stood over the desk, carefully and expertly finishing twisting the cable. The others had managed to push themselves in and just about fit at one end of the room, although Lucy had managed to knock several pieces of paper off the top of the cabinet.

Dr Glover put the completed cable down, and took a sip of tea, before making a face when he found it was cold.

"You'll have to excuse the mess."

Alasdair cleared his throat. "Pardon me, sir, but...if this is a bother, you don't have to..."

Rachel whipped her head round and glared at him, shutting him up immediately. Dr Glover sighed. "Rachel?"

"Yes dad?"

"Is this about what I said yesterday?"

Rachel shuffled, holding one elbow. Dr Glover nodded. "I see. Ah, why not?"

The tired man sat down and rubbed one temple. "I've been working here for a few years now and I still have barely anything to show for it. The lab assistants almost never come in. I have no help from any of my old colleagues. None of them even believe me with what I'm doing here." He glanced up at the children, looking an awful lot older than he was. "The only person I can share anything with is my daughter. And now, I suppose, you."

Lizzie and George looked at one another, biting their teeth. The whole atmosphere was getting very uncomfortable, and certainly no less warm.

Dr Glover looked up. "What would you say if I told you there was another world out there?"

The children blinked one by one. Joel stopped pouting, and put his hands in his pockets. "Another world?"

"Of sorts. I don't know for certain, of course, but everything I've done seems to point towards it." The man pointed at the wall to their right, at an old tattered photograph. "That machine up there? That was the computer I worked with back during the war; codenamed the Sphinx. I remember there were several dozen of them lined up; many of us sat for days on end, intercepting messages and running them through the decryption hardware, trying to decipher the enemy's information. It was state of the art. Maybe even still is, with what we managed to find."

Now the children were all interested. Even Lizzie had foregone her nervousness, so engrossed was she in the strange man's story.

"Occasionally...very occasionally...the machines would stumble on something. A message would get through that wasn't there before. We were digging deep into computing at the time, and the more the machines learned, the more often it happened." He smiled at Rachel. "I'm not sure if you remember, but there was even a point...ever so brief, but the machine itself seemed to open up. I swear we saw something inside, another place entirely." He scratched his tufted hair. "Of course, nobody listens to me. Though they definitely know there's something there. You may have heard of the D-Port research?"

A series of blank looks suggested otherwise, all except for George, who rubbed his chin. "Something to do with...yes, I remember, they'd salvaged some of the old Sphinx computers hadn't they?"

Dr Glover rolled his eyes. "Yes, all the best ones. They're just off looking for 'a new level of computing'. Trying to make the code breaking quicker or make them perform other functions." He leaned forward, exasperated. "They only care about what these machines do, not what they are."

Alasdair looked around the room, the pictures starting to make a little more sense. "So then what are you doing here?"

"I'm searching." Dr Glover tapped his nose. "I have my own things to look for. And if you head through the door behind you I can show you a bit more."

He took another swig of tea as the children bundled through, into the main part of the warehouse. Lizzie was last through, mumbling as she went. "We could have done that to begin with. Looks like there's more room in there."

Beside her, Lucy whistled. "Pretty..."

Lizzie blinked. "So you can talk..."

Lucy just pointed, and Lizzie followed her gaze. She too was impressed. Taking up most of the warehouse were two old Sphinx computers, with a couple of panels missing but overall intact. They were certainly impressive machines; constantly whirring and beeping, and outputting yard upon yard of white tape at regular intervals. But they were notably different to the pictures in the office; wires and panels were coiled around, lights and dials were constantly in motion, and the whole thing was constantly pumping fluid through each different segment. A garage job, but it seemed to work wonders for their function.

Between the both of them was a far smaller machine; a hexagonal slab of metal with wires connecting it to the larger processors. Despite its size it seemed to be working just as hard, with needles flicking between different values and lights flashing on and off constantly. At the front of a machine was a concave circular screen, which seemed to fuzz with static, occasionally flashing with a red light. It was all very impressive, if a little oppressive with everything going on at once. Joel was busy grumbling about the noise, but nobody else paid any attention to him, so engrossed were they with the marvel of engineering before them.

Dr Glover pushed his way through the group and hit a couple of switches, shifting the noise down to a background hum, though everything kept moving all the same.

"This is the real D-Port. Not that imitation the London scientists are making; this thing is built to break through the interface and into the digital realm itself."

Yvonne put her hands in her jacket pockets. "You keep talking about another world. How can you be so sure?"

"The computers are getting smarter. The Sphinxes were learning all the time we were using them; what originally took a few weeks was only taking about an hour by the end of the war." Dr Glover raised his arms. "It wasn't us. We never touched them. There was something behind them; I was sure of it."

"Still seems a bit of a stretch to call it another world though."

"Of course. That's what this is for." The man beckoned them around the smaller device, which he put his hand upon. "This takes the two decryption signals and uses them as a navigation to find their location. The true location; into the processor itself." He swallowed. "It sounds crazy, but I've broken through. I've sent messages to...somewhere else. And I've received them as well." He stood up and shuffled through a tray full of torn-off tape scraps, handing a few out to the children. "Actual words and sentences from somewhere completely different. It's not a joke; these computers are totally isolated from the outside world." Despite himself, he couldn't stop grinning. "Whatever wrote these came from within the hardware itself."

George frowned, looking over his slip. " _'Release your location and identity_?'"

Yvonne seemed equally confused, but also excited. " _'Contact reached with Echo Quadrant: Please identify_.'" She looked up. "What does it mean?"

Dr Glover didn't hear, seeming more concerned with what Rachel was holding. She became aware of everybody looking at her, and she held up a short piece of tape.

"Mine just says _'Go away'_."

There was a silence in the warehouse, with the exception of the click-click-click of the computers. Dr Glover tapped the ends of his fingers, looking dejected.

"You...don't believe me, do you...?"

Rachel nodded profusely, but the others simply stood, looking among one another. Alasdair cleared his throat. "It's quite amazing if it is true."

Rachel gave him a hurt look. "It's true! You've got to believe him..."

"Well...can you do it right now?"

The others looked up at George, who shrugged. "It would be interesting to see. Can you connect with the other world right now?"

Dr Glover bit his upper lip, before nodding. "Alright. But stand back. There's a lot of moving parts here. Over behind the line, please."

He donned a pair of goggles as the seven children complied, although they were watching with baited breath. Dr Glover flicked some switches on one computer, then the other, back and forth in a process that took at least five minutes. The clicking changed, two rhythmic patterns merging together, forming Morse messages and sending them out into the ether. Now and again Dr Glover stopped by the D-Port itself, changing the levers and dials the tiniest amount each time. The circular screen was getting more active, with red blobs swirling around, turning into static bars, then patches, then spirals, like a magnet by a signal-less television.

Suddenly Dr Glover stepped up, and shouted, "Aha!" He rushed to the rightmost Sphinx and pressed a big green button, making the thing sputter and regurgitate a few metres worth of tape. The man quickly turned the dials down again before bringing the tape over to the children, hiding the excitement in his voice with little success. "I've got a reply!"

"What?"

Dr Glover shuffled through the tape, trying to find the end. Most of it was just covered with numbers and letters in random gibberish, but when they reached the end, they all crowded round. Dr Glover was grinning like a maniac.

"See? A live reply. Something from beyond the interface."

He began to read, but as he did so, his grin lessened.

"' _Who are you...why are you still in contact...you will destroy us all...I will end you if I must...go away, go away and never break into this world again or I will...I will find you and I will...kill you.._." He looked up, and swallowed. " _'This is your final warning..._ '"

The children watched, shuffling uncomfortable. Even Joel was silent at this point. Yvonne scratched her cheek. "Wow...rude..."

Dr Glover blinked, and looked amongst everyone. "I shouldn't have brought you in here. It's...this is beyond me now, you need to get out."

He turned, but Rachel grabbed his hand. "But Dad-"

"Rachel!"

Dr Glover pulled away, still clutching the tape. "It's my fault. I didn't realise what was happening...I still don't know..." He shook his head, and pointed at the door. "I have some people I need to talk to. You all need to leave. I'm sorry but...I can't risk it."

One by one, the children marched outside, through the office and out to the airfield. Some of them were muttering and grumbling under their breath, whereas others were silent, the letter's words still playing in their minds.

Dr Glover counted them out, before glancing back inside the warehouse. The machines were still ticking away, and the D-Port was flashing. The screen was showing a single red dot, shifting slowly back and forth, like a giant red eye searching for something. Dr Glover shivered, and closed the door, locking it behind him.

* * *

"Well that finished abruptly."

Alasdair leaned against one of the disused buildings, his hands behind his head as he stared up at the sky. Dr Glover had sent them all out and shut himself back inside the office again. Not twenty minutes later he'd rushed out himself to his car, no doubt trying to get in contact with some big scientist colleague. It was all rather sudden, and as such, the children themselves hadn't really dispersed, still hanging around. Yvonne was stood next to him, arms folded.

"I thought this might be nice but it took a bit of a mean turn."

"You're telling me. Not to mention we gained a few people, all for naught." Alasdair sighed. "I can't help but feel slightly overwhelmed."

"Come on, Alasdair, you know we're all stubborn round here." Yvonne looked up, staring at the warehouse. "Do you think there was really someone out there?"

"I have no idea," Alasdair said, as he pushed himself off the wall, "but it would be pretty weird if he just did it all as a joke."

Yvonne pouted. "Whoever the guy at the other end is, he seems stroppy."

"Well, you know...," mused the boy, giving a half-smile, "I'm not sure I'd like it if I heard strangers knocking on my door all the time. Still, threatening to kill us is a bit much."

Yvonne placed one hand in her pocket, and gave an awkward laugh. She blinked, looking back and forth against Alasdair's perfectly straight and serious face. She'd always found the expression cute, even when she'd first met him. Not that she'd dare admit it to anyone. She bit her cheek, and looked over at Lizzie, who was sitting away from everyone else.

She was about to walk over, when there was a crackling of dry grass and Lucy stepped up, somewhat ungainly and trying very hard not to fall over again. Yvonne smiled, before looking down, only just now noticing the girl's purple purse, slung over her shoulder. It was open, and something was sticking out. Yvonne narrowed her eyes, and pointed.

"Is that...Dr Glover's pen?"

Lucy shuffled. "I...forgot." Her voice was very quiet, and she mouthed the words carefully and deliberately, though not out of shyness.

"Did he give it to you?"

No answer this time. Behind her, Yvonne could hear Alasdair sighing. "Not again..."

The girl chuckled, and patted the taller girl on the shoulder. "I'm teasing. It's only a pen." She glanced down. "Yikes, you have a lot of stuff in there, don't you?"

"I just pick it up." Lucy blinked, and she began to bite at her thumbnail. A moment later she jumped, and then turned and pointed at the warehouse. "I found a door."

"I'm...sure-"

"It's open." Lucy gave a small smile, and beckoned with a finger. Yvonne and Alasdair followed, into a thicker patch of grass (and the occasional nettle), and right up to the other end of the warehouse. There it was; another door, hanging just ajar, with the lock drawn. Lucy gingerly opened it, and peered inside, the other two looking as well.

Alasdair nodded. "You're right. Strange door to leave open."

"Dad forgets."

The three jumped, and turned to see Rachel standing there, her hands behind her back. "He keeps it open to keep the warehouse cool, but sometimes forgets to close it." She took the handle and shook it, sending brick dust over the ground. "It's kind of broken anyway."

Alasdair peered back inside. "We should leave it alone. He told us to leave."

Yvonne pushed her lips out. "Well...yeah, but..."

"No, Yvonne...no." Alasdair put a hand on her head and turned her to face him. "Remember what happened down by the river. When somebody says no, you don't do it. I was the one who got the blame."

Yvonne folded her arms. "We only got a little wet."

"Look, those are big, expensive...okay, they're cool machines in there, but they're also dangerous. And besides, you saw the tape, right? Wherever they are, somebody's not happy about this stuff."

"I understand." Yvonne nodded, and pointed. "Lucy's already inside though."

"What?" Alasdair whipped his head around. Lucy was indeed back inside, having squeezed through the gap between computer and wall, and was now wandering around the room. Alasdair gritted his teeth, and went in himself. "You idiot...we're gonna get caught."

Yvonne looked down at Rachel, who was staring at the grass, biting her lip. The older girl nudged her. "It can't be that bad, right? Your dad seems like a nice person."

"He is." Rachel looked away. "I just want everyone else to see what a nice person he is as well."

She looked up, and Yvonne put a finger to her lips. "Shall we have another look?"

"Alasdair said not to. So did dad."

"Well Ali's already gone in. And your dad's not here."

She grinned, and dove into the small gap herself. Rachel hesitated for a moment, before following. It was only a few seconds later that Lizzie poked her head around the corner, with George and Joel just behind her.

"Yvonne? Alasdair?"

Lizzie swallowed. Something didn't feel right at all.

"...anyone...?"

* * *

The four trespassers didn't hear; they were busy sneaking around the warehouse. Alasdair looked left and right, whispering for Lucy, as Rachel and Yvonne snuck up behind him. Yvonne grinned.

"Boo."

The boy nearly shot skywards, and practically jumped around, face furious. " _I told you to wait outside! You're not supposed to be in here."_

"But you're in here."

" _That's not the point."_

There was a shuffle, and Lucy popped her head out from behind one of the computers. "Hello!"

"Lucy!" Alasdair was livid, thrusting his hand towards the open exit. "We're not supposed to be in here! Get out!"

Rachel rolled her fingers. "You know...it is dad's lab, not yours...just saying..."

"You heard what he said. We're going to get in trouble."

"Trouble? Where?"

The boy turned round, and groaned. "Ah, not you too. Does anyone around here ever listen?"

George ran his finger down his cheek. "I heard voices, that's all." He hummed to himself. "Actually I wanted another look at the computers. I might draw them later."

Behind him, Lizzie huffed, and held her elbows. "That's good, we know where you all went to. Can we go now?" She looked round. "I don't like it here. It gives me the creeps."

Alasdair nodded. "See? Someone sensible."

He glared back at Yvonne, only to notice she wasn't looking at or listening to him, but instead had wandered over to where Lucy was. Alasdair's expression cracked a little. "I'm gonna get mad..."

"The machine's doing things."

Lucy popped her head out again, and waved at the others. "The D-Port. It's still running."

George blinked, and looked down at Rachel. "Didn't your dad turn it off?"

"I...thought so..."

"Doesn't matter anyway." Joel blew a raspberry, and stomped over to one of the Sphinx machines, glowering up at it. "It's all boring anyway. I thought it was gonna be fun but it's boring." He lashed out a foot, kicking the machine with a clang.

There was a click, and the machine increased its speed, immediately retching up a wad of tangled tape. Joel stepped back, shaking his head. "It wasn't me!"

"Get away from that!" Alasdair shouted, running over to drag him away by the shoulders. He resisted, wriggling and kicking backwards, but Alasdair held tight as the machine gave a short, sharp whistle, then powered down, releasing vapour of some kind.

Lizzie swallowed, and glared at the back of his head. "Nice going, brat."

"I heard that!"

 _Thock_

"JOEL!"

Presently he was marched away by Alasdair, while Lizzie knelt down, rubbing her smarting shin and giving the boy murderous looks. "I hate kids..."

"Lizzie, come over here!"

The girl definitely did not want to come over there, but given that everybody else was now crowded round, she gave in and walked over, peering over Rachel's shoulder. Rachel was holding the wad of tape from earlier, trying to find the end.

"It's more of the same...I think..."

"Can you make any of it out?"

"Let me..." said George, as he carefully picked it up and ruffled through it, adjusting his glasses as he finally found the end. "' _The end is coming the end is foretold why aren't you listening you will doom us all you will doom the world one step closer and I will come for you...'"_ He looked up. "It's all the same. Cheery fellow, isn't he?"

Yvonne puffed her cheeks out. "He's just grumpy. I'm sure he'll be fine when we meet him."

"I don't want to meet him!" shouted Lizzie, louder than she might have liked. Everyone turned to look at her as she backed away, waving her hands maniacally. "I don't want any more of this! I...I want to go home. All this? This is scary...too scary...we're not supposed to be here and someone's threatening to kill us and-"

Yvonne raised her palms, taking a step forward. "Lizzie, calm down. Please-"

"No! This is all your fault! Dragging me along with a bunch of-"

"Lizzie, watch out!"

It was too late. Lizzie stumbled, just saving herself from falling, but too late to save the thing she'd bumped into. There was a sickening metallic clang as the D-Port toppled over behind her, wires being yanked out with nasty snaps. She yelped, and hopped backwards, her hands over her face. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

" _What have you done?"_

This time it was Rachel who shouted, and she rushed forward, barging the older girl out of the way and kneeling next to the fallen machine, which was spluttering sparks. She pushed the wires out the way and grabbed the sides of it, looking all over.

"The light's going out...I don't know what to do..." She whipped her head around, tears welling in her eyes. "Dad spent years on this! If you've broken it-"

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Alasdair put his hand on Rachel's shoulder. "I'm sure it's...nothing serious...if we just tell your father..."

"He'll never let me back here again!" Rachel yanked herself away, and pulled the great device back upright again, straining at the weight. No response. The circle was as black as ever. She knocked the side panel, once, twice, twiddling the aerial and the dials, sliding the switches one by one. "Come on...come on..."

"Stop! You're going to make it worse!"

There was a cry as, behind, Lizzie fell to her knees, suddenly bawling up at the ceiling. "I want to go home! I'm sorry! I shouldn't have come."

She collapsed into pitiful sobs, as Yvonne ran over, kneeling down herself and embracing her wreck of a friend. Her wails and Rachel's babbling were filling up the warehouse, echoing off the walls and the computers. George simply stood between Lucy and Joel, tugging at his shirt collar nervously. Suddenly he tilted his head, and cupped his hand to his ear. "Isn't that a car? Maybe Dr Glover's back."

He looked at Lucy, who just shook her head. "Can't hear over the computers."

George nodded. "Fine. Just my-" He blinked, and looked behind him. "Those computers? I thought they were off!"

Lucy pointed. "They're working."

"I can see that. I thought Joel broke them or something."

There was a yell of indignation behind him. "I didn't break nothing, fatty!"

George ignored the insult, and wandered over to where the second Sphinx computer was running, faster than ever, chugging out ream after ream of tape that was busy tangling itself up on the floor. The boy adjusted his glasses, and looked at the nearest segment.

 _STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP_

George took a sharp intake of breath, and turned around. "Alasdair's right. We should probably leave. This is getting out of hand." He looked over at Rachel. "Rachel, leave it, please..."

"I need to get it working!"

"It is working!"

The girl stopped, and faced him, looking at the ever increasing bundle of tape in his hands, then at the two huge decryption computers, looming over them and chugging away faster and faster.

"I didn't turn them on," she said, defensively. "I didn't-"

George stopped her mid-sentence. "It doesn't matter now. The messages are getting worse. We should leave. We should all leave."

He took a step, and winced. The whirr from the computers was at an incredibly high frequency now, with an incessant clicking and the return of the horrible train whistle. Wisps of steam were beginning to rise up from the very tops of the great metal leviathans, forming patterns on the corrugated roof.

Everybody had heard George, but nobody moved. They stood, transfixed, not wanting to take a step for fear of setting off something more. Even Lizzie had stopped yelling at this point; she was still knelt, her hands shaking. "What's...what's going on...?"

Lucy looked around in wonder. "It's not stopping."

Beside the D-Port, Rachel felt warmth on her face. She looked down, and saw the circular screen illuminated with a red light; not halogen or reflected, but a real, organic, spiralling light, like a miniature star trapped within the body of the machine.

"It's going to explode!"

Lizzie's cry snapped everyone to their senses. Yvonne stood up, scanning the room. "How do we stop it?"

Alasdair shook his head. "That doesn't matter! We need to get out now!"

"But the machines-"

"Yvonne!"

"Oh god..."

 _STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP_

"Watch the wires!"

"It's getting louder!"

"I can't hear! I can't hear!"

"HEEEEEELP!"

 _STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP STOP_

The machines were smoking now, sending sparks up and down and bouncing off the ceiling. Already orange flames were flickering from parts of them, and they were rattling dangerously, screws falling out and panels hanging loose. The D-Port itself was vibrating, the edge of the panel glowing orange where the insides were working overtime. The lights were flashing, the dials were going haywire, and in the centre of the screen, the big red spiral got bigger and bigger, with the ends of it beginning to reach out from the edge of the glass.

Alasdair bellowed down at Rachel. " _How do we stop it?"_

"I...don't know? Power? Power! Unplug it!"

Yvonne ducked as a volley of sparks shot past her head. "What's the power?"

Alasdair bent down, grabbing a handful of wires. "I don't care! This is coming off!"

" _Ali! Don't!"_

The boy stood up and yanked the cluster of wires, causing a massive bang and the lights above to short. But the light didn't go out completely. The boy opened his eyes, and could see Rachel's mesmerised face, and Yvonne's shocked one. He looked around; all seven of them were bathed in a deep, deep red glow.

The rushing sound wasn't stopping. Neither was the whistle. Nor the never-ending clicking of the tape reel, still incessantly printing the warning.

Alasdair became aware of something hovering beside him, and he looked down at the wires in his hand. There, from one of them, was a tiny stream of red, connecting one wire to the back of the D-Port. It jumped, and writhed, like a little serpent or a miniature bolt of red lightning.

Instinctively he dropped the wires, and the bolt was severed. It whipped back and forth, like a devil's tail on the little machine, which was still showing the spiral.

The wisp wriggled. It spat. It shook. It twisted, becoming a spiral itself. And as it did so, the end grew. And grew. And grew. It was no longer a thin trail, now it was a whirlwind, spinning around and opening out further, grabbing at anything and everything in its reach.

Alasdair had backed away by this point.

Rachel hadn't.

And the end of the spiral wrapped itself around her wrist, and ripped it off into little red squares.

She screamed. Everyone screamed. Rachel scrabbled on the floor, trying to get to her feet, but the tornado lashed out again, ripping and gouging at her other arm, her torso, her face. Her voice was lost in seconds, dissolving into electric noise, as she was dragged in pieces into the vortex, getting smaller and smaller and vanishing into the back of the device.

The six remaining children watched, aghast and petrified. The red tornado groaned, roared, and expanded again, lunging with the speed of a striking snake, this time at Alasdair.

"ALI!"

Yvonne rushed forwards, blind to the danger as she held out her hands. Alasdair turned, the red lights flashing in his eyes as he reached out towards her. She grabbed his hand. Closed her fingers, and pulled. But her hand had closed on nothing. He was already gone, torn to pieces and whisked away, and as she saw the ragged red streams spiralling up her own arms, she knew she was next.

"RUN!"

Everything seemed to go in slow motion. The other four turned, their legs powering against the metal floor as steam and sparks and panels blew all around them. Yvonne was engulfed from her head to her feet, but the hellish spiral didn't stop, rushing forwards like a freight train. It ripped pieces out of the computers, and the floor, sucking up wires and bolts and anything in its path. The remaining four children could feel the heat and static from the terrible force behind them, as they ran blindly, not sure where they were going. There was a clang as Lucy's foot caught on some loose metalwork; she went crashing to the ground, and was ripped up in an instant. George wasn't fast enough, and he was caught by a flailing tendril, torn in two in mid-air and swallowed up from there. Joel hit a dead-end, turning just as the full crimson force struck him and carried on up the wall.

Only Lizzie was left. She reached the back door, and grasped the handle.

She glanced backwards.

Into the vast, red vortex that now towered above her, ready to crash down like a tsunami.

She froze. And screamed.

* * *

Dr Glover slammed on the brakes as he pulled into the old car-park, hearing the despairing wail. He didn't even bother turning the engine off, leaping out the car and looking around. There was no sign of the children.

"Rachel? I'm back?" He turned to the small office building. "You're not...I didn't leave the door open, did I-"

 _BOOM_

The explosion burst through the roof of the hanger, tearing and twisting the corrugated metal and sending the nearby growth – and Dr Glover himself – crashing to the ground with the force of the blast. He stared up, his teeth chattering as the red vortex shot into the sky, swiping at the air like a wild beast from the depths of Hades. Fire and smoke poured out, blackening the air.

There was a bright flash. The tornado curled on itself, and vanished.

Dr Glover got to his feet, watching in horror as years of work lay smoking and wrecked before him. Flames were still licking the sky, and the air was now thick with smoke. Dr Glover began to run.

" _RACHEL!"_

He burst in through the remains of the back door, waving his arms in front of him as he coughed and spluttered. There was barely anything left standing. Both Sphinx machines had burst, their inner workings melted and spread out on the ground. Wires were hanging from the ruined roof, and charred pieces of paper and tape were busy smouldering wherever he trod.

There was no sign of the D-Port.

Or any of the children.

 _"RACHEEEEEEEEEEEL!"_

* * *

" _I'm telling you, they're not dead."_

 _"And? How would you like it if you woke up under lock and key?"_

 _"You really want to let these things loose? We don't know what they are!"_

Lizzie started, her eyes snapping open. She felt herself pressed up against someone; no, two people, Lucy and Alasdair. In fact, everyone seemed to be lying on top of each other. It was raining now, and they were outside, getting rather drenched. She held up a hand, and rubbed the lenses of her glasses, as if that would help.

She could still hear voices, and became aware of several other people all around them, obviously talking. Had the explosion knocked them all out? Were there people here to rescue them? She had to admit, some of the voices didn't sound too pleased.

She sat up, and immediately whacked her head on something sharp and rough. She winced, and looked up. It was wood. Crossed wood, over them all, like a cover. She stretched out her leg, and felt it knock against something as well. More wood. In fact, all around them. A lattice of rough wood, overturned and embedded in the ground, all around them. A cage.

The girl sat up again (as best she could, given the low ceiling) and peered outside.

She had to bite her tongue to keep herself from screaming. For the beings all around her weren't people. They were...they were...

"...monsters..."

Her left hand went to her right forearm, and she pinched herself; harder than she intended to, and drawing blood.

It didn't work, but the harsh intake of breath (or perhaps her overall panicked breathing) alerted one of the creatures to her – a two-legged lizard-man with markings on his face, crescent blades in his arms and a huge, broad cleaver strapped over his back. He pointed. "You were right. One of them's awake."

Lizzie was shaking her head, mouthing the same words over and over.

"...what the hell...what the hell... what-"

"You! Freak!"

Something far bigger squatted down in front of the cage, and peered down through the roof. It was huge; gnarled blue body, six skeletal legs, four fluttering wings like ragged paper and a ferocious, leering eyeless head, with several jaws stretching and contorting in impossible ways.

The giant bug leered down, clicking menacingly. "What are you? Where did you come from?"

Lizzie shook her head even harder, lying back on the ground as, all around her, the others began to groan and shift, waking up into what they thought was the real world.

The bug slammed a fist on the ground, causing it to shake. "I asked you a question!"

Lizzie's lower lip was shaking. "W...w-w-wha...w-w..."

"Answer me!" The insect curled a fist round, summoning a crackling ball of lightning that spat sparks, raining down into the cage. "Answer me now or I will end you right here!"

Lizzie answered, the only way she could think how.

" _ **WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?"**_

* * *

 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	2. Episode 2: The First Partners

_**Digimon Inferno: Playing with Matches**_

 _ **Episode 2: The First Partners**_

* * *

The kerfuffle in the centre of the village was beginning to attract onlookers. Residents were crowding around the wooden snare, hiding behind each other as they watched the seven bizarre creatures tumble around beneath the latticework. Behind the adults were Rookies, peering out behind the legs of their leaders. Two such Rookies had gotten quite close. One of them was a bipedal sheep, with purple tinged fur, simple copper armour and wielding a short dagger, and the other, a stocky emerald green dragon, with a bulky diamond tail and short, ragged wings sticking up from his elbows. The wyvern squinted, his bright eyes glinting. "What in the world are they, Arimon?"

"Beats me." Arimon's paw drifted down, and he fingered the hilt of his dagger. "Do you think they could be dangerous?"

"They don't look dangerous," remarked the dragon, as he pulled a face, "in fact, they look revolting."

"Wyvermon, that's not kind."

"Well, they do." The dragon huffed. "I can't help inferior beings looking like they do."

"Oh, so you think I'm inferior?"

"Yes."

"Screw you."

Wyvermon gave a smug grin, and shook his head. "You're fine. Acceptable, at least." He furrowed his brow. "Whatever these creatures are, they don't seem to be much of a threat at least."

This viewpoint was beginning to permeate through the assembled crowds, and especially among the Digimon closest to the cage, who were reaching through the bars, poking and prodding the strange creatures. All the children were babbling at this point; staring into the distance, screaming, yelling, crying – frankly, nothing particularly productive or helpful. The tall lizard warrior, Dinohyumon, placed his hand in his face and sighed. "By Yggdrasil, you're noisy aren't you? I've heard Botamon less whiny than you." He stamped his foot. "Please...can we...can I say something-"

"OI, SCUM! SILENCE!"

There was a crackle and an immense bang as the big blue bug banged her electrified fist into the dusty ground, creating a big black burn mark and a nasty smell. This tactic seemed to work, as the seven kids were immediately stunned into silence, looking up in terror at the great monstrosity. She leered, pointing at her helmet with one of her free arms. "Look into my eyes and don't say anything."

At the back of the cage, George raised a hand. "Um...you don't have any-"

The bug cracked a fist. "WHAT DID I SAY?"

The boy swallowed, and looked down.

"I SAID WHAT DID I-"

"Thank you Kabuterimon, I think they get the point." Dinohyumon waited as the huge bug backed away, before he crouched down, looking through the wooden lattice and clicking his teeth. "Geez...we have ended up with a load here, haven't we...?"

He snapped his fingers before the nearest child, Lizzie, who shuffled back in response. "You can clearly talk. What region are you from? The Celestial Order? You look like their lot."

Lizzie gave an unintelligible _meep_. Dinohyumon sighed, and walked around to the other side, poking George instead.

"Celestial Order? Grassbridge? I know; you're emigrants from Silicon City. Nah...no, you'd never have made it through the border to the quadrant..." He sniffed. "Whatever you are, you definitely don't have the smell of Nightmare Soldiers so we're safe on that front."

He looked at the boy, who stared back blankly, his mouth flopped open. "Uuuuuuuh..."

"Oh for crying out loud..."

Kabuterimon stepped forwards. "Let's just chuck 'em, Dinohyumon. They're obviously trouble and they're stupid to boot."

"Back out there?" Dinohyumon said, incredulously. "You saw the blast in the sky, right? Just about when they arrived; we can't let them go now. And at any rate, we're civilised people. We don't litter."

Kabuterimon folded her four arms, and blew a puff of lightning. "Well, what then?"

The lizard man stared at the gathered crowd around. "This isn't a good place to do this. Maybe if we leave them alone for a bit they'll calm down." He scoured the crowds and pointed at a Gargoylemon and an ExVeemon. "You two, help Kabuterimon and empty the trap into storage." He ran a hand sadly down the woodwork, and glared at the children within. "You realise you lost us a perfectly good snare, right? We don't really take to timewasters."

Kabuterimon tapped him on the shoulder, and she bent in to whisper. "We only had one store free, and we've currently got...you know what in there."

"Well I don't care. They're all prisoners, they can share. There's nothing else I can do." Dinohyumon held a hand out. "There are seven of them; I'm pretty sure between them they could take him. And give us one less problem to worry about."

Kabuterimon shrugged. "If you say so, overseer."

"Oh, just get on with it!" Dinohyumon whacked the trap with his right arm, making a dull thud. He glared around him. "The rest of you, get out of here! Nothing to see, nothing to hear, you've all got things to do. And somebody get me a Searchmon; I need to send a message to Dallurmon."

"Yes, overseer."

He stomped off as the three heavyweights took the snare between them and marched off down to the end of the village, with the children clinging onto the inside of their wooden prison. Dinohyumon just snorted.

"Always me. Never Seasarmon or Unimon, always just me who has to deal with this nonsense."

* * *

Storage, as it turned out, was a rather roomy cave cut out from a wall next to a pond, about a quarter of a mile away from the village. The journey wasn't long but it was far from comfortable, with the three huge beasts bumping the snare up and down all the way down, causing a heck of a lot of bruising on the inhabitants within. Not that they dared say anything; partly due to the size and menacing aura of the three brutes themselves (who would occasionally glare inside or whisper something between themselves), and partly due to most of them being massively shaken up.

Thus nobody said a word until they reached the storage cave, which was full of large, wooden-framed cages full of stone, metal, wood and armaments. There was only one cage free, and while it was easily big enough for the seven of them, it wouldn't exactly be comfortable accommodation.

Kabuterimon didn't even ask how or when; she just simply tipped the snare up and dumped the seven children inside, hissing as she did so. "Stay here and think about what you've done!"

Yvonne blinked. "We haven't done anything-"

Alasdair grabbed her ear and pulled her back, shaking his head violently. No jokes. Definitely no jokes.

Kabuterimon clicked, and leaned down to have a better look at the group. "You don't look like any Digimon I've ever seen. You don't even look that dangerous."

"Hey, what's this?"

Kabuterimon turned, to see ExVeemon pointing at something currently dangling from the wooden lattice by a series of wires. "Do you think this is theirs?"

"Who cares?"

"Well it's not mine. I didn't put it here."

"Lemme see," interjected Gargoylemon, reaching over and holding the D-Port in his oversized hand. He poked it, only to drop the whole thing as lights started flashing. He sucked his finger, whining, "Yeesh...it bit me."

"Oh, I can't be asked with this. It can go in storage with the other rubbish." Kabuterimon picked it up and chucked the device into the cage as well, nearly braining Rachel in the head along the way. She glowered, and slammed the door shut, before hoisting the great broken snare onto her back and beckoning towards the door. "Come on. We should get this to the artisans before they break for the night."

The three of them left, chatting amongst themselves as if the seven children weren't even there. A few minutes passed. Yvonne lay flat out on her back, staring up at the ceiling.

" _Well_..."

Rachel had already shuffled over to the D-Port, which had been shaken quite a bit through the journey. She tapped a button, but it refused to turn on. No lights, no sound, nor even any terrifying swirly energy. She began to cry.

"It's dead. It's my fault."

"It can't be!" yelled Lizzie, shuffling over herself and nearly fumbling over her own feet. She planted herself next to the younger girl, and immediately started looking around the device, holding wires in her hands. "Look, there's a plug there...it's got to fit...we just need to fix this and it'll be okay, right...we'll be back-"

"Give it a rest, Lizzie." Alasdair sat down, and reached out to give the wooden lattice a tug. No movement. As simple as it looked, it was hard as iron. He leant forward, banging his head against it.

Everyone was looking particularly sombre. All except for one of them.

Joel stood up and ran at the cage with an animal yell, only to fall on his backside. Alasdair rolled his eyes. "That's not going to work."

 _WHACK_

"Sure, why not keep trying?"

"Where the heck are we?"

The others looked up at the youngest boy, who was hopping up and down, utterly infuriated. "What is this? Why are we here? Are we dreaming? Did we dream those monsters? What the damned hell is happening?"

 _"I don't know!"_ Alasdair hissed through gritted teeth. " _I don't know what's happened. None of us do."_

"I can guess." Lizzie slumped in the corner. "We're dead. We're doomed forever; this is hell."

"Oh, pipe down." Yvonne glared up from her ceiling-staring position. "This isn't hell. Hell's much more painful than this."

Lizzie snapped a glare back. "Oh really? Have you ever been?"

"Hopefully not."

"Then how do you know?"

"You!" Joel turned on Lizzie, and was now pointing at her, his finger quivering. "It's your fault! You broke the thingummy!"

"Me?" Lizzie stood up, eyes blazing, "Listen, you brat, it was an accident! And anyway, Rachel was the one who was fiddling with it!"

Rachel looked up, hurt. "Hey..."

Alasdair let out a grunt. "Don't _start!_ "

"Well what about you then? You yanked the things out the back!"

Now Alasdair was on his feet, pointing fingers. "Oh, I'm sorry if you wanted to be caught in an _explosion!_ And anyway, we wouldn't have been looking around there if we weren't looking for Lucy!"

Lucy blinked, snapping out of whatever daze she was in. "Whu..."

Nobody else paid any attention; Lizzie was currently in full-on hysterics. "We wouldn't have been there _anyway_ if we hadn't all been following _you!"_

 _"Me?_ You were following _Yvonne_ ; you know, the girl I _actually_ invited rather than _you!"_

"Sod off!"

"Get lost yourself!"

"Bastard!"

"Cow!"

"Um, guys...?"

Both Lizzie and Alasdair turned on George, both in full fury mode. "WHAT!?"

The portly boy jumped briefly, but he pointed from his sitting position, towards the other end of the storage cell. "I don't think we're alone in here."

Everybody turned round, and squinted into the dark corner of the cell. Yvonne shook her head. "Nothing there. Just bones."

"Bones?" said Joel, instantly unnerved. "How long are we gonna be here?"

"They could be from anything."

George stood up. "No, that's not just bones..."

"Well, do you want to go and check?"

The boy swallowed, and looked over at Alasdair. "You're the leader..."

"I am not! And I'm not going anywhere after last time!" Alasdair sat down, and folded his arms petulantly. "We're not going anywhere or doing anything until we come up with a plan. I'm not going wandering around looking at some dumb bones!"

"Lucy's already looking."

"Oh, for god's sake..."

Indeed she was; edging slowly closer on her knees into the shadows. Rachel was close behind her, her hand holding tightly to the D-Port, as if she were protecting it. Lucy got closer, but stopped just a couple of metres away. She turned back. "It's not just bones."

"What is it then?"

She shrugged. "A demon?"

Lizzie gave a humourless laugh. "See? I told you. Hell. Eternal damnation."

Yvonne flicked her longtime friend in the nose. "Stop being a pessimist. It's not good for you."

Lizzie felt about to explode, but she bit her cheek and calmed down. "Alright then, genius pal of mine, what do you think it is?"

Yvonne turned up her nose. "Whatever it is, it's not moving. It's probably dead."

 _"No, but I wish I was with all that racket you're making."_

There was a series of screams that echoed through the tiny cave, and immediately five of the seven children had pressed themselves up against the wooden lattice. Only Lucy and Rachel remained relatively close; Lucy seemed virtually unfazed, and Rachel had now thrown her whole body over the D-Port, as if sacrificing herself to protect the busted-up little device. Still, everybody's eyes were on the creature as it unfurled itself.

 _"Kindly shut up."_

The creature was not, as it turned out, a pile of bones, though the mistake was easy to make in the darkness. It had a thin, white spine running down its back, and a large, monstrous skull over its head, through which peered two large, pale, grey-blue eyes. The rest of its body was nigh-invisible, save for its wicked hooked claws and a series of seven spine-pairs sticking from its back and down its tail, which glowed an eerie blood red. It genuinely looked like a demonic spectre as it sat up on its knuckles and faced the children.

It took a step forward and the children all held their breath, with the exception of Lizzie who started babbling again, "Oh please for the love of god don't eat us!"

 _"What?"_

"I'll repent! I swear, I didn't do anything wrong..."

If the creature had had eyebrows, one of them would have raised. _"What are you talking about? I don't eat...whatever you are...no, I don't eat full stop."_

Yvonne patted Lizzie on the shoulder and took a step forwards. "How can we trust you when you look like that?"

In the very corner, Joel cracked his knuckles. "You try to eat me and I'll bust you up!"

" _Child, you wouldn't get near me."_

"I would!"

 _"Really."_ The creature sat down, and exhaled heavily. Its voice was deep and throaty, but came across as a lazy Latino drawl. It glanced over at Lucy, who was looking in curiosity. _"You seem normal. Sort of."_

Lucy blushed, and gingerly raised a hand. "Hello..."

The eyes in the darkness looked her up and down, before it raised a hand of its own. _"My name is Chupamon. I'm very dangerous and you all probably don't want anything to do with me. I'm sorry if I disturbed you; if you'd like I'll go back to sleep in the corner. Just keep it down for crying out loud."_

Despite his words, he didn't move, looking at each child in turn. " _Well?"_

Alasdair swallowed. "You're not going to...eat us..."

 _"Do I look like I'm going to eat you?"_

"Uh..."

 _"Well, that's normal."_

Rachel loosened her grip on the D-Port, and turned to the others. "At least he's friendlier than the others. We might be able to find out where we are."

Lucy nodded. "He's good. I can tell."

"You can't tell where your shoes are half the time." Alasdair scratched behind his head. "Look...Chupamon...I'm sorry. We're sorry. You just scared us.

Chupamon rolled his eyes, and walked slightly further into the light, squatting down before them. In the bright his body was more visible; very dark purple and muscular, where he walked on his knuckles like an ape. His skin was covered in very fine hairs, or maybe scales - it was hard to tell. His red glow had also diminished somewhat, although his skull mask remained as stark white as ever.

He tilted his head. _"You people...aren't from around here, are you?"_

* * *

"Kabuterimon?"

The great bug sighed, and shifted the great snare further up her back. "What? Leave me alone; I have a headache."

ExVeemon popped his lips, and continued regardless. "They really didn't look like any Digimon I've ever seen. Could they have been telling the truth?"

"I don't care. They're a bunch of whining children and they can sort out their own problems. I'm not a babysitter." She rolled her neck, clicking as she did so. "Besides, we've got bigger things to worry about than them, and they're the ones who've put us all at risk."

"They sort of fell into the snare. It's not really their fault."

"Well it's not mine!" Kabuterimon winced, and pulled the snare further up. "Hurry up, we need to get this fixed. I don't want to deal with anything else today."

"I can't go any faster than this."

"Oh for crying out loud...give it to Gargoylemon then!" Kabuterimon looked around, then stopped, her wings flickering slightly. "Where is he?"

ExVeemon looked behind him. "He was behind me. Maybe he got lost?"

"There's one path. I doubt it." The bug scoured the landscape, growling as she did so. "I swear, if he's off smelling flowers or something-"

"Maybe he fell in the pond?"

Kabuterimon glanced over the edge of the path, down the hill towards the lake. She felt uneasy, her lower set of arms tensing up. "We don't have time to look for him now. The longer we leave this-"

ExVeemon's usual blue shade went very pale all of a sudden. "You think something got him?"

"I didn't say that. It's probably nothing serious..."

ExVeemon wasn't really listening. He peered down himself, staring at a clump of bushes that were shivering in the wind. "Gargoylemon? Is that you?"

Kabuterimon swallowed, her wings fluttering slightly. "I don't think-"

 _BANG_

There was a sudden explosion at ExVeemon's feet, the road beneath him crumbling away in a flash of black fire. He yelled, but was already falling, his wings flapping furiously but fruitlessly as he tumbled down into the greenery. Kabuterimon yelled herself, as the snare clattered down behind her, the beams breaking. She abandoned it, and ran to the side, calling out. "ExVeemon! What happened?"

There was no answer. She backed off, her hands clenching and unclenching as electricity ran along their length. The wind was light, but the bushed below were shaking violently, as something ran upwards.

"Run. Don't turn, don't fight, just run, and let..."

She didn't finish her sentence, since just as she turned to run back up the path, the creature shot out in front of her in a bright red blur. She turned, tracking its movement as she brought all four hands together in a panic. " **Electro** -"

It leapt again, jumping to the hill above with the speed of a cheetah. She turned, but it had already poised itself, its lips pulled back in a horrendous grin. Before she could raise her hands it had leapt a third time and it was on her, sending her tumbling back into the brush.

* * *

Arimon looked over his shoulder, back up the rugged path. "If anyone sees us, we're gonna be in trouble; you know that right?"

"Since when are you one to be worried?" Wyvermon shuffled forwards, taking the tiniest peek into the cave. "I can hear voices."

"So they _can_ talk..." Arimon clutched his dagger; an act that gave him a bit of comfort when things weren't necessarily going well. He nudged the dragon. "I'm beginning to think the elders were a little...you know..."

"Hasty?" finished Wyvermon, nodding in agreement, "I know what you mean, but it's not like they listen to us." He squinted, his bright orange eyes lighting up in the darkness. "I can't see them. Not properly."

Behind him, the sheep fidgeted. "We could always go and say hello. You know. They might be scared. Don't we have a duty?"

"To creatures like them?" Wyvermon puffed his cheeks out, but stepped back, holding out a claw. "If you want to, be my guest."

Arimon glowered at him, but he plucked up the courage and stepped forward, edging into the darkness. The voices became clearer, and he edged around the opposite wall, trying to peer into the cage before one of the mysterious beings spotted him.

Inside the cage, Joel tilted his head, and pointed. "Hey look, it's another one."

Arimon jumped as seven faces came to the gate, all staring at him. He jumped even higher as Wyvermon brushed past him, sighing and patting him on the back. "You are not a stealthy guy. You know that, right?"

"I...I didn't...shut up!" Arimon flounced forwards, his arms folded, but his partner was no longer paying attention, instead gazing with wonder into the cage. "Woah...you're really from out of town, aren't you..."

Yvonne shrugged. "Further than you can imagine." She glanced over her shoulder. "Are they Digimon too?"

 _"Most of us are around here. We just look different, but we're all the same data. Not that they'd admit it."_

Chupamon was still sat in the corner, having been drip-feeding information out to his new cellmates. George and Lucy were transfixed, along with Rachel, although right now she was doing her best to help Alasdair get the D-Port working again, with minimal success. The others were keeping to themselves by the sides of the cell, still trying to get their bearings on this miraculous and terrifying new world.

Wyvermon seemed to take offense at not being the complete centre of attention, and he pressed his eye up against the cell bars. "Who are you talking to? Who is that?"

The children parted, and Chupamon glanced up, instantly bristling and the spines on his back flexing. " _Oh, it's you two,"_ he muttered, his voice dripping with contempt.

"You!" Wyvermon's hackles went up, and Arimon drew his dagger, holding it out at arm's reach in front of him. "You...leave these poor people alone! Wretch!"

 _"Charming."_ The little devil looked among his current company. " _Just so you're aware,_ _I'm not best popular around here."_

Joel looked at the two aggressors, and then back at Chupamon, who suddenly seemed bored. "Do you know each other?"

 _"Sort of."_

"Silence! You're in here for a reason! Your kind, coming in here, trying to slaughter us!"

Chupamon twitched, and marched forwards, pressing his hideous skull up against the bars. _"Why on earth do you still insist on that pathetic lie_?"he growled.

"Because it's true! You're a disgrace to Dallurmon!"

" _Dallurmon couldn't give a damn about me."_

"You're not worth giving a damn about!"

" _What in Yggdrasil's name do you think I want from-"_

 _BOOM_

Everybody jumped out of their skin as a huge explosion sounded, and the cave shook. George knocked his head against the side of the cell, letting out a moan. He turned towards the cave entrance. "What the heck?"

The dragon and the sheep looked at one another in horror. "That came from the village!"

Before anyone could stop them, they'd rushed out of the cave. Alasdair watched them go, his arm hanging out of the cell limply. "Great...such social graces we all have..."

"Chupamon? What's wrong?"

Alasdair turned to see Chupamon sitting bolt upright, his head pointed towards the sky. He sniffed; left, right and then back again. His pale eyes were wide, and he brought his muzzle down once again.

" _Shit...he's found me_."

* * *

The explosion was causing an awful lot more commotion up the path near the village, as the overseers Dinohyumon and Seasarmon rushed out, trying to make out what was happening amidst all the smoke. The villagers were panicking, trying to put out a house that was currently engulfed in black flames.

Seasarmon bristled, their haunches raised. "Something's here. Something bad."

Dinohyumon gave them a glare over his shoulder as he rushed forwards to point people in the right direction. "You think?"

"Oh, blast you." Seasarmon shivered suddenly, and looked around. "It's bad. Very bad. Very malicious; I can sense it. Did something hit the barrier?"

"The barrier's down..." Dinohyumon suddenly stood straight, gazing around. "The barrier's down and we didn't get round to fixing-"

" **Blast Coffin!** "

A broad spear of black lightning shot out of nowhere, and immediately another building spontaneously combusted, this one sending both overseers to the ground. Seasarmon immediately leapt up yelping, and spinning around as they tried to remove the black flames from their own back. Now the villagers were panicking; running in every direction as the flames licked the sky.

Only Dinohyumon stayed still, watching beneath the heavy smoke as a Digimon walked forwards, licking his blackened lips. He was a large, crimson wolf, with straps of black leather wrapped around his legs and a long snout laden with more triangular teeth than was really suitable or dentally practical. He was a Fangmon, and even for his kind, he was big, standing over six feet at the shoulder. He glanced around with his slanted yellow eyes, and his gaze fell upon Dinohyumon.

"Whoops. You forgot to close the gate."

Dinohyumon had his sword drawn in an instant, holding it up against the great hellhound. "Get back to the shadows, you scum. You're not welcome here."

"Calm down, calm down; I'm just here to collect something of mine." Fangmon grinned, his lips pulling back to show all of his pearly whites. "I don't come round stealing your property, now do I? So don't steal mine. Where is my Chupamon?"

Dinohyumon didn't answer, instead holding his sword up further. Seasarmon rushed up behind him. "Dino, you know you can't-"

"Hush, Seasarmon."

"You're not a fighter. None of us are. You won't stand a chance."

Dinohyumon glanced back, and saw that the third overseer Unimon had now appeared, gawping over the chaos like somebody who'd just woken up after a meteor strike. Dinohyumon shouted, "You two get as many out of here as you can. I've got the best chance out of all of us; I'll handle this."

Seasarmon nodded, before running off, Unimon on their tail. Dinohyumon turned back to Fangmon, who was swinging his tail lazily back and forth. "Always a stickler for bureaucracy, you people. But if I must, I must." He stepped aside, and kicked backwards at the smaller Digimon who was standing behind him. She rushed forwards, clutching her arm as she spoke through gritted teeth.

"Yeah?"

"Search the village, you pathetic wretch. Find the Chupamon and bring him back."

He kicked her again, sending her bounding off into the chaos, before turning his attention back on the warrior before him.

"So how good _are_ you with that pointy stick of yours, reptile?"

Dinohyumon breathed out, and rushed forwards.

* * *

Arimon looked panicked, and shoved Wyvermon roughly on the shoulder. "We should go. I told you we weren't supposed-"

"Wait a minute!" The dragon pressed his eye up against the bars, glaring at Chupamon. "You! What did you do?"

There was no answer. Looking nervously between the two, Yvonne raised an arm. "Listen, I-"

"You, silence! And you, black-blooded scum! **Jewel Rush!** "

The attack came from nowhere, as Wyvermon's whole body glowed and he slammed into the bars, making the whole cavern shake. The children jumped a mile, and backed away from the door. Joel's eyes were wide. "What did you just do...?"

Only Chupamon was unshaken. He slowly unfurled himself, and walked to the door, glaring back at the dragon beyond. " _You think this is my fault, lizard?"_

Wyvermon reached out and grabbed the bars, leaning in and whispering dangerously. "Who did you call?"

 _"Nobody. But that's not going to make a difference. As I told you weeks ago when you picked me up and threw me in here."_ Beneath his mask, Chupamon smiled dryly. _"My owner's simply come to pick me up."_

In a flash, Wyvermon's claw shot out, grabbing Chupamon's neck beneath his skull mask. He rolled his lips back, bearing several dozen small triangular teeth. _"As if I would ever let him-"_

"Wyvermon! Behind you!"

The dragon turned towards the cave entrance, where a small Digimon stood, silhouetted against the sunlight. She was big for a Rookie; only just smaller than Wyvermon, and she looked very much like a small kangaroo. Not entirely though. Her tail was stubby and wrapped in lilac bandages, the same kinds that formed markings over her limbs and body. She had dark brown fur with a sandy belly, and conical, stubby claws on the ends of her fingers and oversized feet. Her eyes were a deep purple, and intersected with a scar on both sides, yet despite her thuggish appearance she was clearly in bad shape, with wrinkles beneath her eyes and nasty bruises over her body. Still, she cut an imposing figure. Arimon stood before her, his dagger drawn and held out. "Who are you? What do you want?"

Marsuamon spat, and marched forwards. "Get out the way, pricks."

"As if we'd-"

" **Crackin' Kick!** "

The wallaby jumped forwards, appearing behind Arimon. The sheep swiped round, his blade grazing her shoulder, but she was already well into her move, and her leg lashed out and struck him in the back. He went flying, crashing into the opposite wall as Marsuamon straightened up.

" **Jewel Rush!** "

Wyvermon flung himself forwards, his body glowing as he wrestled the kangaroo to the ground. But, even with the advantage of the initial blow, she grabbed his wrists one at a time and rolled over onto him.

"I ain't here for you!"

With a boxer's precision she struck the dragon in the snout, once, twice – leaving him stunned and winded. She jumped to her feet (making sure to give him a boot in the stomach for good measure), before she turned to the door. Thankfully the children has already made it a priority to get _as far away from the door as they could_ ; not that Marsuamon noticed or cared, as she began running at it, her fists clenched.

" **Crackin' Kick!** "

Her feet lashed out and the door splintered into two, the pieces caving inwards. She didn't stop, marching past the children as she grabbed Chupamon by the skull-mask. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Chupamon looked at the ground. " _You know full well."_

"Well, you're an idiot." The kangaroo grabbed him and threw him out the door, rolling her neck as she did so. "Go! Get outta here! Before he comes looking for ya!"

Chupamon shook his head and body, glaring at the kangaroo. " _And you?"_

"Don't ask dumb questions, skull-boy. This is your chance!" Marsuamon scratched her shoulder. "I can take it."

 _"Now who's stupid? Fangmon will kill you. And me._

At the back of the cage, George raised a finger. "Um...did we miss something..."

Rachel dropped the D-Port on its back, staring in awe and fear at the scene before her. "Aren't you...the bad guy?"

For the first time Marsuamon seemed to notice the seven people cowering in the back of the cage, and she turned, her shoulders broad and her chin pushed out. "What the hell are you?"

 _"It's a long story. Best not to ask."_

Lizzie bit her lip, and leaned forwards. "What are you talking about? Who's coming?"

The kangaroo gave a humph. "If y'know what's good for you you'll get outta here as well."

" **Brave Dagger!** "

Marsuamon heard Arimon's footsteps and brought her hand up to block the attack, only to wince in pain as the glowing blade burned her hand. Arimon saw his chance, lunging out with his foot and then with his head, sending Marsuamon staggering back.

Arimon leapt forwards, his claws digging into the wallaby's shoulders as he drove her into the ground a second time. She resisted, but he held tighter this time, and the sheep's dagger was soon at her neck. "Whatever you're planning, it's over."

"Are you insane?!" Marsuamon squirmed, but the dagger pressed ever further in, drawing blood. Wyvermon glanced up at Arimon.

"What do we do?"

Beside them, Chupamon growled, and flexed his muscles. _"You let her go, dragon. She's got nothing to do with you."_

"And let you escape? And her?" Wyvermon ground his teeth in frustration. "You're both criminals."

 _"She was rescuing me."_

"So you could get revenge?"

Marsuamon snapped, yelling, "So we could get AWAY! And so should you!"

Arimon pulled back slightly, and grabbed the dragon's arm. "Wyvermon, I think-"

"I don't CARE what you think!" Wyvermon loosened his grip and turned on his friend, allowing Marsuamon to bat his paws away and wriggle out. "You NEVER go all the way with this! People have DIED due to these monsters, and you're going to just let them get AWAY with it?"

 _CRACK_

The four Digimon jumped as something struck the nearest cage. They turned, and saw Alasdair, standing up and wielding a dangling wire in one hand. He glared at each of them in turn, his face red with fury. _"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?"_

The four Digimon were momentarily silenced. Marsuamon folded her arms. "It's none of your-"

 _"It IS our business!"_ Alasdair punctuated each phrase by whacking the broken door with the wire, the sound reverberating in an odd manner. He pointed at Arimon and Wyvermon _"YOU brought us here, YOU locked us up, and YOU,_ " – here he changed his accusation to the offended looking wallaby - , " _YOU came here and started picking a FIGHT! We have NOTHING to do with this world and you've given us NOTHING but CRAP! So tell me now, WHAT the HELL is going ON? WHO'S coming!? WHAT'S coming?"_

Behind him, George coughed. "Alasdair...the D-Port's working..."

"What?"

The boy turned around. It was true. Rachel was knelt beside it, and the thing was lit up. The dials were moving. Even the weird, staticky feeling was back; the children and Digimon alike could feel it on their skin. Alasdair looked at the wire in his hand, which he'd yanked out from the side, and he dropped it. "What the...I don't get this thing."

Lizzie leaned over. "Maybe we can...can we get home? Can we get out of here?"

"I...maybe..." Alasdair looked over his shoulder, to where the four Digimon were still staring. Yvonne looked as well, and whispered to him. "I think they're in big trouble."

Joel stood up, looking nervously around. "You asked them what's coming? They didn't say anything."

Lizzie shook her head. "I don't care! We can't do anything! Let's just get out of here!"

"I'm trying." Rachel pushed the buttons one after the other, shaking her head. "It's just flashing. There's nothing in there. No...red tornado thing...nothing!"

"Well try harder!"

Marsuamon blinked, and shook her head. "I'm sorry, what? _What?_ " She turned and glared at Wyvermon. "What the heck were you people doing here?"

"Me? It's not my fault; they fell out of the sky apparently."

Chupamon growled, his spines glowing. _"We don't have time for any of this. If Fangmon finds us like this we are all going to die."_

" **Blast Coffin!** _"_

The flames turned the cave black, then blue, then blasted the roof open with a bang, sending rock and rubble in every direction. Children and Digimon alike covered their heads as the world fell around them, the very ground shaking from the impact. Chupamon and Marsuamon were the first to recover, their eyes adjusting to the sunlight as they looked towards the path. Fangmon was stood there, next to the lake, with a large smile on his face. One paw was digging into the dirt. The other was curled around the smoking body of Dinohyumon; bloodied, bruised, and unconscious. Fangmon tilted his head, and looked at the ground before him.

"That's awfully pessimistic coming from you, Chupamon? I would have thought you'd be glad to see me." He raised his paw, showing the group Dinohyumon's wrecked face. "This fellow didn't last anywhere near as long as I wanted him to."

The wolf's ears twitched, and he looked aside to see the children, still huddled together within the ruined cell. The bars had held up the worst of the rubble, but they were coughing and spluttering, still disorientated.

Fangmon tilted his head, and let out a short whine.

"What the hell are they?"

Nobody answered, with the exception of a sigh from George. "I'm getting really tired of hearing that question."

Fangmon shrugged, and turned his attention back to Marsuamon and Chupamon. He raised a paw, and curled a claw, beckoning them. "You're coming with me."

Neither of them moved. The wolf's eyes flashed, and he slammed a foot down. "Whatever you were thinking, it won't work!"

He chuckled, his belt-buckles clanging against one another as his shoulders heaved. "Oh I get it...you really thought you could run away from me! Oh, that's just precious."

Chupamon hunched his shoulders. " _Leave this village alone. I'll come."_

"Will you? How kind of you; it's like you really think you have a _CHOICE?_ " With a red blur he rushed forwards, his overly-long foreleg slamming the little devil across the rubble. The wolf turned upon him, all humour gone from his face.

"You dare to give me orders? _I OWN YOU!_ " Another slash, causing Chupamon to roll over the sharp rocks. Fangmon stood atop the rubble, staring all around. His yellow eyes travelled down to Marsuamon, who was stood stock still.

"I own _YOU_ as well! You are my _PROPERTY!_ Everybody here! The village! The overseers! Those freakish things over there. If I decide so, then they are my property!" He looked up the path towards the burning village. "You know, I might even do that. I'd no longer need to travel. Think about it, me owning a village." He licked his lips and stared over at Chupamon, who was struggling to his feet. "I must admit, it's a good idea. You should be thankful. I might even be generous and let you have a pick of the people."

" _We will NEVER BE YOUR SLAVES, YOU SCUM!_ _ **BRAVE DAGGER!**_ _"_

 _"_ _ **Royal Razor!**_ _"_

Arimon and Wyvermon shot forwards from two directions at once, catching Fangmon off guard. Their attacks sliced into his forelegs, but the leather bands meant the blows were shallow. And he wasn't about to give them a second chance.

" **Snipe Steal!** "

In one second, the red wolf was gone, out of both their fields of vision. In another second, his claw struck the both of them square in the back, sending Arimon to his knees and making Wyvermon stagger. The wolf reappeared, arching his back atop the pile of rubble. "How wonderful. You still have some fight in you. You're far better than the pathetic attempt for a swordsman over there."

"Take that back!" Arimon pulled his dagger back, the blade glowing bright gold. " **Bright Barrage!** "

He swung forwards. Below the collapsed rock, the children gazed in awe as fireballs erupted from the attack, shooting forwards like a miniature meteor shower. Fangmon was less impressed though, as he merely stepped out of their way, before turning himself to face the sheep knight, his teeth white and glinting.

"Are you afraid, little lamb?"

His eyes shone brightly, the pupils focused directly on Arimon as the sheep brought the dagger back again.

"You should be."

With a roar he leapt, but there was a blur of brown and Arimon wasn't there, tackled to the ground by Marsuamon. The sheep struggled, but the wallaby helped him up, before turning on her captor. She was shaking now, fury burning through her veins and her muscles so tensed that they rippled through her flesh. Fangmon glanced back, and raised an eyebrow.

"So you do wish to make an enemy of me today."

Marsuamon spat and leapt forwards, lashing out with fists and feet. She was fast, and powerful, but Fangmon was more so, and he merely ducked and dodged in amusement, occasionally reaching out and slashing her across the thigh or belly. Not that she cared; she'd been fired up now, and she kept attacking, and talking at the same time.

"You stole me! You wrecked my home and killed my companions, and you beat me again and again. Chupamon as well. I was ready to free him. I was ready to DIE than be your property any longer!"

She raised both fists, hopping back and forth. "How can I make an enemy of you? I was never your ally to _begin_ with!"

She wasn't the only one.

" _ **Crimson Spikes!**_ "

Fangmon howled as his back left foot was suddenly pinned in place by several snare-like spines, sticking out of the ground. He writhed, and wrenched the foot out, dripping blood as he did so, only for Chupamon to stand up in front of him, the devil's tail whipping back and forth. Dripping saliva from his maw, Fangmon turned his attention forwards, where Chupamon was on his hind legs. His mask was glowing, and his eyes were bright red.

" _ **Odious Dread!**_ "

Momentarily, the sky darkened. Only the skull glowed brightly, growing bigger, more terrifying, twisting and lunging in the onlookers' minds.

But Fangmon was having none of it. He leapt forward, and swung his leg back, knocking Chupamon to one side and breaking the illusion. The wolf's eye was twitching, but he was otherwise unaffected. "You really think that'll work against me?" He laughed, his voice hoarse and brutal. "How can you possibly win?"

Arimon glared at him, as Chupamon and Marsuamon stood either side of him. Behind them, Wyvermon smirked. "Because there's more of us than there is of you. Devil."

The wolf smiled, black energy glowing behind his teeth. "We shall see."

" **Blast Coffin!** "

The flames leapt outwards, and the four Rookies scattered, although Marsuamon wasn't fast enough as the black fire stuck to her back like napalm. She hissed in pain, and rolled in the dust, trying to extinguish it. The other three circled, with Wyvermon the first to attack back, his entire body glowing. " **Jewel Rush!** "

Fangmon was having none of it, twirling in mid-air and slapping the dragon away with a wiry tail. Chupamon raised his forearms and slashed, but the attack merely brushed his oppressor's fur, and he too was sent away. He grunted, and slammed his tail into the ground.

" _ **Crimson Spikes!**_ _"_

Fangmon leapt, and the spines followed him; seven pairs protruding from the ground, one after the other, and all missing. The wolf landed, right next to the purple devil. "You're all out..."

" **Whirlin' Skirmish!** "

" **Brave Dagger!** "

Fangmon swung his head down and clamped his jaws on Arimon's blade, the saliva steaming off the bright metal. Marsuamon's attack struck, but only just, and a lashing kick from the wolf sent her sprawling as well.

The red hellhound threw the blade away, and raised his mouth to the heavens in a phenomenal howl of pure sadistic pleasure, as flames bellowed up from his belly and flickered from his teeth.

" **Blast Coffin!** "

The attack was brutal. Although Arimon had seen it coming, it caught him directly in the back as he tried to run out of its way. There was an explosion, and the sheep was sent flying, bounding off the rock and sliding down into submission.

"No!"

This came from Yvonne, who had stood up, no longer caring about her safety beneath the rock. Alasdair saw her and grabbed her by the shoulder, yanking backwards. "Get out the way!"

She turned to him, her eyes wide. "Ali...they're going to be killed..."

Alasdair shook his head, but he couldn't think of any words. He looked behind. Rachel and George were striking the D-Port, trying desperately to get the faint glow brighter. Joel was outside, standing on the rubble and yelling and screaming, "Come on! Get that stupid wolf!"

Lucy said nothing, but her eyes were hooked, following every move. Lizzie was crouched beneath the rubble. Even now, Yvonne could hear her muffled sobbing. "I can't take this...I wanna go home...I just wanna go home..."

Another explosion, and the rubble shifted, sending rocks crashing down next to all of them. There was a flash, and a creeping static noise, and George sat back, stunned. "It's...it's working! Properly!"

But not many of them heard him. Even Rachel had turned towards the battle. Not that it was much of a battle. The four Rookies were admirable in their tenacity. Even Arimon had pulled himself to his feet once again, only to be struck down with a lethal claw. There was no contest. No bravado. No heroism. Just a constant, ruthless beatdown from a cruel, cruel being. It wasn't too long before Fangmon stood alone; surrounded by four unconscious bodies, dark flames, and his own wicked aura. He closed his eyes and inhaled the smoke, grinning as he did so.

And then he turned his attention on the children.

Lizzie screamed, and held onto George, who was frantically holding the D-Port still as it vibrated in his hands. "Hurry! He's going to kill us!"

Yvonne turned to Alasdair in desperation. "He's not going to stop!"

"What...what are _we_ supposed to do?" Alasdair held her wrist in retaliation, his own face strained. "We're not supposed to be here? We...there's nothing we can do!"

Fangmon chuckled, and took a step forwards. "You are funny creatures. Surely you'll be more sensible than these things here." He smiled. "Won't you?"

Bright red, Joel stepped forwards, and held his arms out wide in an impressive show of bravado. _"Come on you...you...I'll take you down!"_

The wolf, understandably, didn't back down. Instead, Yvonne stepped up, and raised her arms beside Joel. So did Lucy, her gaze stony and seemingly angry for the first time.

Behind them all, George stood up, holding tightly onto Lizzie as he did so. She glanced down. "But...the D-Port..."

The boy shook his head. "I'm not leaving without them."

Rachel stayed on her knees, but she too held her arms wide, planting herself between the wolf and the machine.

Fangmon licked his lips. "I wonder how long you'll all last. Looking at the state of you-"

He frowned, and looked behind him. His leg was being held, tightly, by a small, beaten-up green wyvern. His claws were digging in, and his teeth were bared in a snarl.

"Leave them out of this..." His eyes glanced forwards, briefly meeting Alasdair's. "Whoever they are...this isn't their fight. Your fight's with us, coward."

Fangmon's eyes blazed, and he kicked roughly. But it wasn't enough to dislodge Wyvermon, who opened his maw wide and bit the tendon. Hard. Blood streamed over his lower jaw and down the wolf's leg. Fangmon yelped, and kicked again, and again. It took him seven times to finally fling the dragon away, where he lay on his side, his mouth bloody and several teeth cracked.

That wasn't enough though; with a growl Fangmon leapt over and slammed his foreleg down on Wyvermon's body. Twice. Three times. Once on the tail, sounding an audible crack. And again on the dragon's chest, causing him to cough up blue bile.

"You _impudent, foolish, stubborn WRETCH!"_

The wolf curled his claws, and leant down, breathing heavily in Wyvermon's ear.

"I wasn't going to kill them. I really wasn't, but I am now, because you made me. How does it feel when all your courage isn't enough to save them? What is your heroism worth now?"

Wyvermon coughed, and glared up with one orange eye.

 _"More...than your miserable...life...will ever know..."_

"You'd throw away your life for those people? You don't even know them. What they even are. What they'll do to this world. Or to you." Fangmon glared up, and the black flames began to flicker in his maw. "Why?"

" _Why will I protect them...?"_

Amidst the blue and black flames, there was a flickering red light, glinting off of the dragon's scales. Wyvermon smiled, and spat a globule of blood onto Fangmon's snout, as a faint whistle blew in the background.

 _"Because...I can. That's why."_

Time stood still. All the children watched as the air around them grew heavy and electric. The sound was deafening, but nobody noticed. They just watched, as Fangmon removed his paw, and dripped liquid fire from his mouth.

"I've had enough from you."

The D-Port opened up. Like before, the red spiral spun lazily in the circular screen. The dials and meters were flickering back and forth, showing highly erratic readings. The spiral reached out, forming the terrifying red whirlwind from before; maybe slightly deeper in colour, or fiery in nature, but certainly as frightening. Only Alasdair saw it at first. Looking away from the dragon's imminent death, he saw the vortex hanging in the air. The others turned to watch as well. Rachel inexplicably backed away. So did George. Alasdair was closest. With a gentle hand, he reached out towards it. His other was still on Yvonne's shoulder. She bit her lip.

"Ali..."

Fangmon hadn't noticed. He opened his mouth wide, the explosive blast building and building. Wyvermon closed his eyes.

Alasdair could feel his heart pumping as he paused, his hand centimetres away from the spinning energy. "Why would he protect us...?"

" **Blast Coffin!** "

As the tips of Alasdair's fingers touched the vortex, he spun round at the last second, reaching out his hand towards the dragon.

"Wyverm-"

He was gone before he could finish, torn up by the red tornado. Yvonne screamed. The others stared in horror. There was a flash, and a tear in space like the peel of thunder, causing even Fangmon to glance over.

Alasdair was gone, but the tornado wasn't. But it didn't expand. Or reach out to anybody else. With a leviathan's roar it shot forwards, striking the wolf across the face, spiralling around the fallen rubble, before impaling itself directly into Wyvermon's chest. For a moment it spread wide, and all the onlookers could see the face of Alasdair caught up in the swirling horror. Then there was a flash of red lightning, a scream, and it was gone.

* * *

 _Wyvermon floated in space, halfway between life and death. There had been a great rushing, and then...nothing. Nearly nothing. He could see the boy... what was his name? Then the dragon was next to him, and they both looked out over a sea of white and grey. There were people moving in the distance. Human children. A group, standing over a young girl. Another one crying. And the boy was there as well. Shouting. Hitting. Getting hit himself. There were words being said, but Wyvermon didn't understand any of them._

 _He looked up, and saw the boy staring, as if in a daze. The scene was fading away. The boy was running, both girls' hands in his._

 _The dragon sat down, watching as the people melted into nothing. "Who are you? Where did you come from?"_

 _"Somewhere far away from here."_

" _And it's still the same?"_

 _The boy looked down. "It was always up to me. I had to protect them, but I never had anyone to protect me." He glanced sideways, aware of the dragon, staring up at him. "Why did you?"_

 _The dragon shrugged. "Because I can. My own conscience - and your own life - are at stake. Isn't that enough?"_

 _The boy closed his eyes, and took in a breath. "It always should be."_

 _All around them, the white clouds were giving way to flames of ruby red and emerald green, and the distant whistle was beginning to sound. The boy held out a hand._

 _"I'm Alasdair._

* * *

"Wyvermon, Soul Interlock!"

"Evolution Activate!"

The dragon jerked upright, and red light streamed from his eyes and mouth, shooting skywards. The lights were still present within his body, showing up in his veins, and below that, his mainframe, which began to shift and bulge, ripping the skin as it did so. He staggered, but his body was acting of its own accord. And it was growing fast.

His emerald green scales fell away, first from his arms as they lengthened, then his legs, then his torso as he stretched out, becoming more serpentine. His face was pulled apart, the smooth muzzle bursting open to reveal the far more gnarled face beneath. The mainframe stretched, forming wings and a long tail, and as it did so the red light began to fill in the grid, forming a solid shape, now tall enough to look Fangmon in the eye. Everybody in the area could only watch in mesmerised horror, as the red light finally faded, revealing a brand new creature

It was a dragon, although far different in appearance from the wide-eyed terrier-like look he had formerly sported. His body was long and serpentine, with a curling and twisting tail that ended in a curved arrowhead. A ragged fin arched down his neck and along his back; soft, yet stiff, and brick-red. His legs were slender, and from his forelegs sprouted thin, spiny struts from either arm, which held a rough membrane between them. His head was far more ornately adorned than before, with spiny, golden horns, a thick, pale mane of skin draped back over his neck, sharp tusks on his upper jaw and a curved horn on the end of his snout. He looked like the very visage of a Norse longboat, only flesh and blood. He held his head high and his wings spread, and his body was covered in scales of a deep green, which seemed to change shades and ripple in the sunlight. He was a dragon fit to be a king or a scourge in the oldest of legends, and he shook his head, shedding scales as he angled himself to face Fangmon.

"Fafnirmon!"

* * *

 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	3. Episode 3: Unwanted Attention

_**Digimon Inferno: Playing with Matches**_

 _ **Episode 3: Unwanted Attention**_

* * *

The Searchmon network wasn't fast, but it was reliable, as was the case with much of Dallurmon's province. In the span of a couple of hours, the initial message from the village had reached the nearest of the reigning Digimon's administrative outposts, where they would be forwarded onto the main keep itself. Through the dozens of messages coming through every hour, priorities had to be made. Dallurmon's administrators often found themselves busier than the leader himself, having to rush around to fix all the problems in the realm. Not that it was a chaotic system or anything. The administrators were handpicked for the job, and very good at what they did. So good that they often headed off to fix the problem without needing to wait for a response.

In this particular case, if they had waited, perhaps things would have been different. Perhaps they would have turned out less catastrophic than they did.

But instead, it came to pass that two small Digimon were making their way down the winding hillside pass towards the village of EtaVerde (as it was known to the people who pretended they knew what they were talking about, as opposed to the actual residents of the village who just referred to it as 'the village').

Despite their stature, the two small Digimon were highly trusted. One, a junior administrator, was a sandy-yellow cricket, with three bright blue eyes and clear fluttering wings. The other, an advisory intern, was a tiny snake with a green webbed frill and a very annoying habit of talking too much, as he was doing right now.

"...and IotaVize is actually in a far more geographically interesting area due to the old Diginome streams that run between the faults where it's located."

"Really," stated Jiminymon, with all the enthusiasm of a bucket of salt. "Has there been any incident recently?"

Atop her back, Neonamon coiled himself slightly, and sucked the end of his tail. "Not reeeeally. Maybe...three thousand years ago?"

"I don't think we have to worry then." Jiminy gave a little trilling sigh, and looked back over her shoulder. "You know too much. Way too much for an In-Training level. I worry about you."

"I can't help it. I'm an interested person."

"Yes, well, I'm not."

"Your loss," said Neonamon, and he leaned back, staring at the sky. "I take this job just as seriously as you do. I'm just grateful for the extra travel, that's all."

"What travel? You always ride on my back. And you don't keep still." Jiminymon rolled her eyes as she plodded on, steadily and briskly despite the complaints. "Just please try and focus on what we're doing? I've probably gained five new assignments since we left to check over here; I'm sure it's going to be another waste of our time. You know EtaVerde is always jumping about finding new and unusual threats. What was it last time? A Patamon. Who freaks out over accidentally capturing a Patamon?"

"Um...Jiminymon..."

"You'd think somebody would at least have some common sense-"

"Hey horsey."

The cricket snapped out of her rant, and glared upwards. "What was that? I'll make you walk!"

Neonamon simply pointed with his tail, and she looked down the pathway. The village was now in sight, right in the middle of a picturesque view of rolling valleys and rushing rivers. The landscape was wonderful. The village, decidedly, was not. Jiminymon's eyes fell on the great black patches, and the piles of white rock and rubble, and the plumes of smoke that curled skywards, mingling with the purple cloud.

"Oh. Oh...oh dear..."

Neonamon bit his bottom lip and let in an intake of breath. "I think we should probably hurry up a little."

For once, Jiminymon didn't argue.

* * *

Arimon rubbed his eyes, and stared at his friend's new form. "I...don't believe it...he evolved? Right here? Right in front of me?"

The other side, Yvonne blinked. "Ali...what the heck-"

" **Blast Coffin!** "

The onlookers ducked as Fangmon shot the dragon point blank in the chest, sending him writhing back. The wolf shook his head, and grinned. "As if you'd have any chance. You're all weak! You've grown weak and fragile, and you hide behind ridiculous wooden traps. You are all-"

He frowned, and looked back to see Fafnirmon's jaws clamped over his hind leg, the same place where Wyvermon had held him a few seconds earlier. The dragon grinned wickedly. "Nobody wants to hear from you anymore."

With a roar he swung his head up, dragging Fangmon off his feet and slamming him over the rubble. The wolf rolled, battering his body on the rocks, but he landed on his feet and snarled downwards. "So...you've got a little bit more to you..."

"More than you can imagine..." Fafnirmon smiled, and he rushed forwards, clambering over the rocks with the dexterity of a spider. Fangmon snarled, and began running himself, his claws glinting.

" **Snipe Steal!** "

The attack missed, with Fafnirmon simply rolling his body out the way. His tail rolled with his spine, and lashed out like a whip, stabbing the wolf in the flank. Fangmon howled, but Fafnirmon was still moving, his body undulating with the grace of an oarfish. His right forearm came slamming down, buckling Fangmon's legs and pressing him into the rocks below. The dragon leaned forwards, whispering in his ear. "You are to go away and never – _never_ – come back here again. You are a coward and a worthless abuser, and you cannot win."

"Ha!" Fangmon laughed suddenly, and twisted as he bit hard into Fafnirmon's hand. The dragon withdrew, and Fangmon rolled, black fire already in his mouth. "You think you have command over me? **Blast Coffin!** "

The wolf fired shot after shot, making the rubble explode into pieces around them. Two shots hit Fafnirmon on the shoulders, driving him back. He arched his back, and flexed his wings, his body glowing in a rainbow of hues. "I warned you..."

"This land belongs to us! It's only a matter of time! That fool Dallurmon has no power here!"

Fafnirmon's irises flashed orange, and he began to undulate, his skin rippling with energy.

"I do."

Fangmon's legs were shaking from the injuries and the strain, but he braced himself, his maw dripping black. "Give me your worst, reptile..."

" **Emerald Luster!** "

The wyvern convulsed, and from his body burst forth a storm of tiny, razor-sharp scales that shot forward in waves, absolutely engulfing Fangmon. The wolf held his ground admirably, locking his legs and firing shots into the oncoming storm.

But he never stood a chance.

Starting with his muzzle and carrying back over his neck, his forelegs, his torso; Fangmon's body was torn to shreds. His data mingled with the green cloud; specks of red and white in the glistening aurora. Fafnirmon stopped moving, and the wave ceased. Only Fangmon's hindquarters were left; standing only temporarily, and then toppling over. Down below, the onlookers watched, aghast, as the lifeless corpse rolled down the rubble, and entered the pond with a restrained splash.

Up above, Fafnirmon closed his eyes, lingering in the green scales that still hung in the air. He could hear Arimon and the others down below, running up towards him. But the rush was going. He could feel his body about to fall apart.

"So this...is what it's like..."

He burst in a flash of data just before Marsuamon could reach him, leaving Wyvermon there, battered and unconscious. Marsuamon put a hand to his shoulder, then his chest, before turning back. "He's...okay...I think..."

Chupamon held back, glancing first at the dragon, then over at the humans, who were searching themselves. The devil narrowed his eyes. " _What on earth did you do?_ "

The children weren't paying attention, as they scrambled over the rocks, looking around. Lizzie was beside herself. "Where did he go? What the hell happened?"

She clutched Yvonne's hand, but the other girl gave her a haunted look. "I...I think he was-"

"I've found him!"

The others crowded around to where Rachel was standing. Alasdair was lying on the rocks, face up. His entire body was shaking, and he was murmuring under his breath. Yvonne was last to arrive, and she saw it; the red data particles studding his skin, glittering in the bright sunlight.

"Oh god..."

"I...I was...a dragon..."

George fell to his knees. Joel and Lucy just stood there, stock still. Rachel got to her feet, and left the circle, her hand over her mouth as she stared down at the ruined cave. Just there, poking out, was the corner of the D-Port. It was no longer shaking. No energy was there. At least, there seemed not to be. But Rachel's stomach was tight. She could definitely feel it.

"Excuse me?"

She looked to the left, to where Dinohyumon was standing. The dinosaur man was clutching his side; clearly in bad shape, but stable for the minute. He eyed the little girl, and his face was stern.

"What happened here?"

"I..." Rachel held her sleeve. "...I don't know. None of us know."

"Wyvermon evolved. Nobody just evolves; not in the blink of an eye. It's not part of our world." He stumbled as he held back an arm, the blade glinting on it. "What...did you... _do?"_

Rachel flinched. Dinohyumon staggered, nearly toppling over. He looked up, and saw all the children staring at him. All of them, except for Alasdair, whose eyes had closed. George reached out and felt his forehead. "He's out cold."

"How could you?"

Yvonne stood up, and her eyes were narrowed. She pointed a finger at the lizard man. "He saved you."

Dinohyumon looked at her defiant face, and then down at Rachel, who was still standing there, expecting the strike at any moment. He lowered his arm.

"Arimon. Call Seasarmon and Unimon. Right now."

He looked back up at the smoking village, and then across at the children.

"We all need to have a talk..."

* * *

The aftermath of the attack had been severe. Buildings and stores had been wiped out, and an entire south part of the village had rolled away down towards the winding river. Not that the children really paid attention to the damage. They simply moved, obediently, as Dinohyumon ushered them into one of the few surviving buildings. They were locked in, but not before the dinosaur took the D-Port with him. Only Rachel questioned why, but he refused to answer.

There they sat, in partial light and near silence, into the night, as the sounds outside kept banging. The more they lay there, the more it was clear that they were never going to wake up from this. Eventually, as darkness fell, they fell into slumber one by one.

Only Alasdair woke up, shaking and screaming. The others were too exhausted to notice. And eventually, he too fell back into a fitful sleep.

It was early the next morning when somebody finally came to check on them, knocking on the door as they entered. The children woke up, more refreshed, but still silent. It was Dinohyumon, along with two other Digimon they didn't recognise; a winged unicorn with a red helmet, and a tusked white lion with wisps of light whipping at their feet. They were Unimon and Seasarmon, the other overseers, and they looked even sterner than the lizard-man did. He was currently holding himself up on a long pole, his legs still injured from the fight with Fangmon.

Seasarmon's large eyes scanned the room, and they were the first to speak. "So these are them? They look..."

"I know how they look. But that's irrelevant now." The lizard-man crouched down. "Can I speak to one of you? Please?"

Yvonne looked down at Alasdair, but he was barely able to sit up. She was about to walk over, when George went instead, sitting cross-legged in front of the overseer. "We're listening. Though I can't promise we can give you much."

Dinohyumon glanced over his shoulder, and signalled. The other two overseers left the building, their faces grave. The dinosaur looked back. "Kabuterimon is severely injured, but she'll survive. The same with the other two. None of the village died, so you have that to be thankful for."

George pressed his jaw together. "How so?"

DInohyumon didn't answer. He instead ran a fingernail over his buckled arm blade. "I will show my gratitude on behalf of the village. If you hadn't intervened, it's very likely we wouldn't have been so lucky in avoiding casualties." He blinked. "But still, what you did was immoral. I have never before seen anybody breaking the laws of Yggdrasil to such an extent."

"We don't know who that is." George clenched his fists on his knees, his fingernails digging in. "We don't know what Yggdrasil is, or what happened. Alasdair's still in shock. You have to believe us...sir...we didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"Then what do you mean to happen?" Dinohyumon clasped his hands, staring at each of them in turn. "Why did you come here?"

There was a cough, and behind George, Alasdair sat up. His eyes were rough and full of sleep, and his lips were cracked. He choked a couple more times, as Yvonne patted him on the back. George looked back at the dinosaur.

"I don't know. But right now, we just want to go home."

The lizard looked among them, and they all nodded. "So where is home?"

"From here, I think it's a whole other world."

Dinohyumon shook his head. "That's impossible."

"From where I'm sitting, you're impossible."

The lizard's eyes flashed angrily and George sat back, suddenly wary. But nothing happened. Dinohyumon stood up, and looked down at them. "Please try to understand. Nothing like this has ever happened in this world before. I...can't guarantee a thing." He turned away. "Wyvermon and Arimon are outside. They wanted to speak to you. May I..."

George nodded, but Lucy leaned forwards beside him. "Chupamon!"

Dinohyumon glanced back. "What?"

Yvonne stood up. "Chupamon, and Marsuamon too. They were with us. They fought Fangmon. Please tell me...can we see them too?"

Dinohyumon shook his head. "You'll see them soon enough. But as long as you're here, I'd advise you to pick your alignments carefully."

He hobbled out the door, holding it open as Wyvermon and Arimon stepped inside. The door closed behind them, leaving them standing awkwardly in the entrance.

Joel was the one to break the silence, folding his arms at the back of the room. "I hate him," he grunted.

"You be quiet." Lizzie said, from her hunched-up position against the wall. "You heard him. Now's really not the time to make him angry."

"You're just scared of him."

"I am," replied Lizzie, adjusting her glasses, "But in a world with dinosaur men who _don't_ try and kill us right away and giant red monster wolves who _do_ , I prefer to pick the former."

Yvonne rolled her eyes, but had the faintest of smiles on her face. "Keep arguing, you two. It's good for you." She looked over at the little dragon by the entrance. "So how are you? We didn't...see what had happened-"

Wyvermon raised a claw. "I'm flattered, but I'm fine. I assure you. Only a mild inconvenience."

Beside him, Arimon blew a whistle. "He says that. He was up all night, babbling about the ancestors' hidden power and rubbish like that."

"It's true! It obviously just awakened."

"You're not fooling anyone. Not even yourself."

Wyvermon's coat lost a little of its sheen, and his body slumped, his shoulders relaxing a little. He looked away.

"How's the...how's...Alasdair?" He looked up. "May I?"

"I'm right here, Wyvermon."

Uncharacteristically sheepishly, Wyvermon trotted over, and looked up at the boy's face. It had finally regained some of its colour, although he still looked decidedly harrowed by the whole affair. Wyvermon sat down, and scratched at his chest. "I...uh...thank you. You saved us back there. Big time." He glanced over his shoulder. "The overseers won't admit it properly but they're thankful. I can tell these things."

"You're welcome." Alasdair nodded. "But I still don't understand what happened."

"Whatever happened, it's not supposed to." The dragon looked almost embarrassed, although his eyes were betraying the seriousness of the situation. "You forced an evolution on me. That's almost unheard of, except in cases of criminals from the Dark Area. No wonder everyone's seeing it as taboo."

"Evolution?" George adjusted his glasses. "Doesn't that take millions of years?"

Arimon stepped forwards. "Maybe where you come from. But for us, it's sort of like...growing? The longer we live, the more we change. But it's supposed to be representative of your power; one day in the future, you just...evolve, and you stay that way for a long time. All being well." He looked aside. "Wyvermon and I are both still young, and we're certainly not powerful. Nobody should be able to just...evolve like that. Or return again straight afterwards."

Alasdair looked at the ground, and at his hands. For a moment he stared at his palm. Then he looked over at Rachel. "Could this be the D-Port's doing?"

The girl shrugged. "I don't know what it does back in our world, let alone here. But it must be. It glowed just before you disappeared."

In the corner, Lizzie crouched tighter. "So it won't send us home. It'll just turn us into...monsters."

Alasdair managed a weak smile. "Hey...don't worry. I'm still here, aren't I?"

"That's not the point." Lizzie looked up, her glasses fogged up with tears. "We're not _supposed_ to be here. What if the longer we stay here, the more we change? This whole place will mess us up."

Joel ran a finger round his ear. "I don't know. You were cool as a great big dragon." He grinned. "I'd love to beat up other monsters."

"Well don't go trying anything, please." Alasdair put his head in his hands. "I don't want you all to go through what I just went through."

Rachel clasped her hands. "Did it hurt?"

"No. It felt...good."

The boy looked back at the dragon, whose expression gave away the fact that he felt the same. Arimon cleared his throat. "Whatever it was, I don't think you'll be allowed near that machine again. Not while you're here."

The conversation was beginning to feel heavy, so Yvonne interjected. "What happened to Chupamon and Marsuamon? They were helping too, weren't they?"

Wyvermon and Arimon looked at one another. After some nudging, Arimon spoke again. "They're...in trouble. They were affiliated with the Nightmare Soldiers and will be treated as such. Although Marsuamon will probably be okay since she can argue it was slavery."

"And Chupamon?"

Wyvermon's face stretched into a half-frown. "He's a Nightmare Soldier, through and through. That's all they need." He looked down. "We found him. Trying to sneak into the village, cause trouble. Us two are the ones who stopped him and got him thrown in there."

Arimon raised his eyebrows. "Not...really, Wyvermon. That was mainly Dinohyumon."

"Well yes, but we found him in the first place."

"Well yeah. He was in one of the snares. We were checking them."

"Don't defend him; he was going to steal stuff! He admitted it himself!"

"I'm sure he had a reason."

Wyvermon glared up at his friend, his snout twitching. "What do you mean why? He's a Nightmare Soldier! He doesn't need a reason."

The children looked among each other, puzzled. Yvonne leaned forwards, biting her lip and asking gingerly, "Is there...a war or something going on here that we don't know about?"

Arimon sat down, and shook his head. "Nothing so terrible. And hopefully not in our lifetimes."

"What then? He seems nice enough, but everybody all seems to hate him. What's this 'Nightmare Soldier' thing you keep talking about?"

Arimon scratched behind his head. "Us Digimon, we're not all the same. Our data is different; some of us are naturally benevolent, and some of us...aren't. Chupamon's part of a family called the Nightmare Soldiers. They're rogues and villains, all throughout the land."

Alasdair's expression changed, just momentarily. "It can't be that bad."

Wyvermon glanced up at the boy. "They steal. They form gangs and attack; they even kill. It's in their nature. Over the past few years they've tried to take over the world again and again."

"All of them?"

"Only the very worst. But the ones hiding amongst us...they get their own ideas. All we're doing is protecting ourselves, and protecting Dallurmon's land."

"Dallurmon?" blurted Lucy, raising her head.

Arimon cocked his head. "Do you know who he is?"

Yvonne rubbed behind her head. "Er...not really. We've heard people bringing him up all around though. Is he your leader or something?"

"He's the ruler of the Echo Quadrant." Wyvermon went to point, but obviously in the hut it was little help. He cleared his throat instead. "This whole island is under the dominion of his keep. Dinohyumon oversees this village along with Unimon and Seasarmon; they all keep it running and pass back produce to the keep. But Dallurmon's the one who looks after it all. He keeps the Nightmare Soldiers away."

In the corner, Lizzie puffed. "He obviously doesn't do that good a job."

"Don't you dare-"

Arimon held an arm out as Wyvermon flared up, calming his friend down. He peered inside the cage, puzzled. "How did you hear about him?"

"We...uh..." Yvonne looked around for support, but everyone else was looking to her for the same thing. "I don't know. We may have spoken with him, but I can't be sure who it was. We definitely spoke with someone through the D-Port, just before we were brought here."

In the corner, Lizzie glanced up. "Whoever it was, I have a hunch we may have ticked them off."

Yvonne nodded. "Indeed. That machine we were with," here she turned to point at the D-Port, before remembering wasn't there, "the one that brought us here...we don't know why or how, but it was designed to get in contact with your world from our one."

Arimon whistled. "Sounds impressive. We always heard legends of another world but...we've never seen anything like you."

"Yeah, well...we kind of had an accident. We didn't mean to come here."

Rachel peered up at the mention of her father's machine, her eyes red and baggy. "We don't know how to fix it. But if we can, maybe we can go home again."

Lizzie flinched, and pulled herself tighter. "Don't say maybe. We will. We have to get out of here."

Suddenly all seven children looked incredibly tired, as they stared out up the two Rookie level, still standing in the entrance. Wyvermon and Arimon looked at one another. "They're really just children, like us, aren't they?"

Wyvermon bit his tongue in thought. "Should we talk to Unimon? He should know the most."

"Will he know about technology like that though?"

"Even if he doesn't, he might know somebody who does." Wyvermon shrugged. "Maybe even Dallurmon will help them. He's wise. He might even have seen them coming."

Lizzie bit her lip, and breathed in sharply. "If that message is anything to go by, I don't think he wants to see us."

"I wouldn't worry about that right now." Arimon pointed. "They're meeting to decide what to do with you." He shuffled awkwardly. "There are...calls going around that you should be...you know..."

Yvonne blinked. "What?"

"...executed..."

Lizzie's eyes widened. Alasdair's face hardened. Yvonne was the one to stand up, stamping her foot on the ground, "We didn't do anything wrong!"

Wyvermon raised a claw. "I'll vouch for you. So will Arimon; I know him. But it's not that simple; you've broken taboo and messed with the workings of the Digital World, intentionally or not."

Lizzie sniffed in the corner. "I wanna go home..."

Yvonne sat down, still seething. "How much time do we have?"

"They're waiting on some people." Arimon pointed behind his back. "Two of Dallurmon's staff, on their way from the local outpost. Impartial jury. After that...well, I guess we can only hope they're reasonable."

Joel folded his arms. "I don't like this Dallurmon guy. He sounds nasty."

Wyvermon put a claw to his lips. "Don't say that too loud. He's done a lot for us." He glanced backwards again. "They don't like you back-talking our ruler."

All of a sudden, Alasdair looked tired. "So what you're saying is there's nothing that we can do? At all?"

Neither Digimon had anything else to say. Instead it was Lucy who answered, as she lay back, her arms behind her head.

"We wait."

In the end, there really was nothing else to do.

* * *

The impartial jury in question were busy making their way towards the village in determined haste. At least, that was the idea, but due to the sudden advancement of the necessary arrival deadline, Jiminymon's internal schedule and localisation capabilities had been somewhat compromised.

To put it bluntly, they were lost.

On the bug's back, Neonamon let out a breath as he rested his head on the smooth of her neck. "Are we there yet?"

Jiminymon's head twitched, and her voice took on a scratchy tone. "If you're so worried why don't _you_ direct us for once."

"I have been. I told you to follow the great plumes of smoke heading up into the sky."

"Oh, how clever of you." Jiminymon stopped in her tracks, and pointed sharply towards the sky. "I can't _see_ it from down here; there are _trees_ in the way."

Neonamon puffed his cheeks out. "We'd have been there by now if you hadn't started panicking."

"What was that?"

"Nothing. The last thing you need is another thing on your mind."

The cricket stopped, and bent down, wiggling her antennae back and forth and letting out little pops of sonic. "It had to be in a place like this. Too many trees...too much interference..."

"Too much nature?"

"Exactly."

Suddenly, Jiminymon jerked upwards, causing Neonamon to wobble unsteadily. "That's something! I hear a voice. We must be close."

The little snake rolled off her back, and flicked his own frill back and forth in the air. He couldn't hear anything. Unsurprising really, given that even Jiminymon's heightened senses were being heavily suppressed in this area. He frowned. "I wouldn't bet on it."

"What, you don't believe me?"

"I believe you're hearing something. I'm just not sure they're necessarily from the village."

The cricket tilted her head. "Do you have any basis for that?"

The snake raised his eyebrows, and pointed with the end of his tail. Jiminymon turned and looked. Then yelped. Then backed up a few metres, before squatting in the undergrowth, only just peeking out. "Okay, I believe you."

Neonamon joined her, before peeking out just slightly. They were very near a clearing, in the centre of which sat a Digimon. Well...more than one. It seemed to be a clearing or a temporary settlement; bivouac, burning fire, several shiny objects which appeared to be stolen artefacts of indeterminate function. One of them was a large cage, which wasn't empty, and, as it turned out, was the source of the voice that Jiminymon had heard. Inside the cage was a large bird-like Digimon, sporting deep blue plumage streaked with yellow. She was talking incessantly at the Digimon outside the cage, who merely sat in silence, rubbing a hook over a rough rock.

On closer inspection, the hook in question turned out to be his left hand, and his right was a huge, bell-shaped musket, hanging down by his side. He wore a snappy blue trenchcoat and a pristine tricorn, emblazoned with dinosaur skull and crossbones. One eye was covered with a metal patch; the other was bright blue, and intensely focused on the hook sharpening.

The scraping noise was very noticeable now, and Jiminymon shuddered, physically shaking from the harsh sound. "I assume they're not friendly."

Neonamon squinted. "Well I assume that bird isn't supposed to be there."

"Don't Hookmon usually travel with companions? They have a bossy nature; it's not uncommon."

"Perhaps." The snake looked up at Jiminymon. "I would have thought if they were there by choice they might not be in a cage."

"Well do you want to ask him?"

"Or her. It could be a her."

"Who? The bird? Or Hookmon?" Jiminymon rubbed her cheek. "Who is that bird anyway? I've never seen a Digimon like that before."

"I think we should probably find the village before we get in trouble."

The cricket shook her head, and fumbled around in her backpack. "No, we need to do this properly. A virus type is wandering around with a potential prisoner. Dallurmon must be informed. I need to record this."

"Can't we note it down later?"

"We'll be busy later. Why?"

"Cause he can see us."

Jiminymon put her leg down, and peered into the clearing again, and straight into the piercing gaze of Hookmon. The pirate swivelled his posture, and raised his musket arm.

There was a boom, and a cracking sound as a cannonball embedded itself in a nearby tree. But Jiminymon and Neonamon had already legged it. Inside the cage, the bird looked up, confused. She whistled, watching as one of the smaller trees came crashing down.

"You're a regular shot with that thing, aren't you? How long was that? Forty metres? Fifty?"

Hookmon shrugged, and repositioned himself again, going back to sharpening his hook.

Merely sixty metres away, Jiminymon was going at breakneck speed through the undergrowth, with Neonamon clinging for dear life onto her back. "I think we might have lost him!"

It still took a few seconds for Jiminymon to calm down. When she finally stopped, she looked behind, taking great gulps of breath. "That...is an offense...against an appointed ambassador..."

Neonamon smiled, and tapped her on the top of the head. "I don't think he really cares."

The cricket buzzed angrily, her hind leg tapping repeatedly against the ground. "I _hate_ field work!"

"It's only outdoors. Most Digimon are able to cope, you know."

"Well they're stupid then. They should all come and live in nicely regulated outposts. And even so, that thing is way too close to the village territory." She looked around, trying to spy any hint of smoke or trail towards the village itself.

"Honestly, how do they deal with living here?"

* * *

Unimon pawed the ground in an irritated manner. "Honestly...we just deal with it."

Jiminymon pointed back out the main gate towards the forest. "You have psychotic monsters living out there! This is not at all healthy for your citizens."

Unimon looked around at the piles of rubble that had once been buildings, and shrugged. "It happens. Only once in a while, but we've gotten used to it. We have procedures. Really, we very rarely get any deaths nowadays."

The cricket sat down, and drooped her head. "For crying out loud...I will be having words. Not your fault, of course, but...you cannot be expected to do your jobs correctly under such conditions."

Unimon cocked her head. "This is just a...a wild stab, but...do you not get, you know, 'bad Digimon' out near the outposts?"

"Not ones that are living this close by!"

Beside her, Neonamon cleared his throat and flicked his frill. "Please excuse her; we've had a long day and she really doesn't like field work." He looked back and forth. "If I'm completely honest, you seem to have everything under control here."

"Oh this? This is just regular damage; we can handle this." The horse bent down, and squinted behind her visor. "You look somewhat young to be one of Dallurmon's auditors."

"I get that a lot."

"Aha! Visitors!" Seasarmon bounded up, smiling as they looked between the cricket and the little snake. "We were wondering when you'd arrive. You didn't have any trouble coming here, did you?"

Jiminymon humphed. Neonamon looked a little sheepish. "Only a little, but your friend tells me it's relatively normal around here. I'm honestly surprised you called us out; it sounds like it was only a smallish incursion."

"Weeeell..." Seasarmon scratched behind their mane, looking somewhat perplexed. "We don't really have much in the way of combat-ready members here. We got caught at a bad angle. But yeah, nobody's overly hurt. Thankfully. But we called because of something else."

"Ah yes..." Jiminymon reached into her backpack and pulled out a transcript of the Searchmon message they'd received. "Unknown or unidentifiable creatures captured. Request examination." She peered over the top of the slip, trying to look incredulous. "Are you sure you didn't just pick up some foreign Digimon and you just didn't notice?"

Unimon growled. "We may not have fancy jobs for Dallurmon like you do, but we're not stupid."

Jiminymon's antennae fell flat, and she put the slip away, laughing sheepishly. "What I mean is...well...uh..."

Neonamon leant against his superior. "What I think they mean, dear Jimmy, is that they'd know whether or not they were dealing with mere out-of-towners. Not everybody's as sheltered as you."

"I'm not sheltered! I know my Digimon lore." She sighed, and looked up at the two bemused overseers. "You'd better show us."

"Come this way then." Seasarmon led the way, with Neonamon and Jiminymon following behind. Unimon brought up the rear, still looking slightly peeved.

Seasarmon looked back, and tried to break the mood. "I'm sure it won't take you too long. It's nice to finally have someone here who knows what we're dealing with..."

* * *

"I have absolutely no idea what we're dealing with."

There they were, all standing in the small yard just outside the counting building. Jiminymon and Neonamon wandered around, peering at each of the children in turn. Nearby stood the three overseers, as well as Wyvermon and Arimon.

Neonamon seemed to be having a whale of a time, making little remarks and comments of wonder as he moved around. Jiminymon, unsurprisingly, was slightly less blasé about it all.

"So you're saying you came from another world? As in...really, another world? Not another branch of the Digital World?"

Rachel cringed, and held her sleeve. "That's what I've been saying..."

"For heaven's sake, girl, what's wrong? I am not going to hurt you."

The cricket trilled, and Rachel grimaced. "I don't like bugs."

Jiminymon bristled. "I find that offensive."

"Sorry."

The bug turned round, and glared at the overseers. "You let these things into your village? Do you realise how dangerous that is?"

"Lots of things were happening very quickly." Dinohyumon glanced at Alasdair, his claw rubbing against an arm blade as he did so. "They arrived, then we got attacked, and got sidetracked, and then they...helped us. But in doing so one of them merged with one of our villagers, forcing an evolution."

"That's preposterous. It can't be done."

Wyvermon stepped forwards. "It's true. I actually evolved. Most everyone here can attest."

"Wow..." Neonamon shuffled over to Alasdair, and smiled up at him. "So you have secret alien powers as well? That's amazing."

Alasdair forced a half-smile. "Trust me, it wasn't intentional."

Off to the side, the cricket chewed on her wrist, buzzing thoughtfully. "This is serious. Very serious." She looked up at the overseers. "Was there anybody else who saw what went on?"

Dinohyumon signalled at Seasarmon, who ran off to get the other prisoners. The dinosaur man sat down, holding his bandaged hip. "I have to speak. I've been thinking and...I don't think they mean any harm. Not to us. They don't know anything about what we do here."

"That's as may be," replied Jiminymon, looking back at the nervous faces, "and I can believe you on that front. But forced evolution is unnatural. Good intentions aside, they cannot stay here."

 _SLAM_

The cricket jumped, and turned to see Alasdair stood up, fury showing on his face. "We don't _want_ to _BE_ here in the first place!" He glared at the cricket and the overseers in turn. "We didn't ask to _COME_ here! We just want to get home. It sounds like you want us to sod off as well, but we don't know _HOW_." He folded his arms. "Can you help us or can't you?"

There was the sound of sliding metal, and Alasdair went silent as Dinohyumon glared at him, his non-injured arm on the verge of unsheathing his sword. "I've spoken for you, boy. I'd advise you not to antagonise Dallurmon's staff. They may be your only hope."

"I've brought the prisoners."

Seasarmon appeared with a bound, Chupamon and Marsuamon in tow. Neonamon's eyes widened. "Looks like you had quite the party going on here."

"Don't start, Neonamon." Jiminymon sat down, tapping the side of her head. "I don't know what to do here. I've never dealt with anything like this before." She glared up at the overseers. "It would help immensely if I wasn't being attacked by your rogue neighbours or given sarcastic remarks from-"

"Excuse me? Rogue neighbours?"

Seasarmon gave Marsuamon a short side kick, for she had posed the question. Jiminymon looked up. "I'm assuming you know there are monsters out there, given your current situation?"

Unimon patted the ground. "I, uh, don't think this is relevant-"

"I outrank you. I decide what's relevant."

Unimon snorted, and glared at Neonamon, who just shrugged. Yvonne leaned in towards George, a look of puzzlement on her face. "Do you reckon this is how all diplomacy works here?"

The boy just watched intently. "It's no less angry than my father's work meetings."

Yvonne stifled a laugh. Over to the side, Joel had sat down on the dirt, looking bored out of his skull.

Eventually Jiminymon turned back to Marsuamon. "I'll ask again. Do you know what's out there? Because given your current situation, I don't think another random attack is really what you want right now."

Dinohyumon put a hand on Unimon's shoulder. "She's right. Kabuterimon's out of action, as am I. We're vulnerable at the minute."

Marsuamon stamped the ground. "Who did you see?"

The bug glanced back at Neonamon, who slithered forwards. "A Hookmon. He had another Digimon in a cage. Why, do you know him?"

"Ah shit."

Marsuamon dropped her arms, and Chupamon clasped his fingers together. " _Well, that was fast."_

Seasarmon looked down at the two of them. "What, there's someone else coming? Why didn't you say?"

" _You never asked. Apparently I'm evil and not to be trusted."_

Seasarmon's face puffed out with anger, but Jiminymon rose a foot, silencing them. She turned back to Marsuamon. "What is it? Are we in danger?"

The wallaby sniffed, and shuffled her feet. "Fangmon didn't have me for that long, so I don't know much. But he'd sometimes bump into Hookmon around this area; they'd sorta split the territory and any spoils they found." The wallaby looked up at the overseers. "Hookmon never spoke as much as I saw of him, but he was far smarter than the big red puppy. Fangmon spoke about stabbing him in the back, but he never got the chance. It was like Hookmon had eyes in the back of his head."

"So you think Hookmon's coming?"

Marsuamon looked around. "Your village is already wrecked. It's easy pickings."

Lizzie raised a hand. "Wait...you're telling me there's _another_ horrible monster coming to kill us all?"

The overseers looked nervously amongst one another. "Well when you put it like that, it sounds like we live in a really dangerous area."

"You think?" buzzed Jiminymon with stunned irritation. "Your whole crisis department seems to be built on sticky glue and electric dreams! Why didn't you say anything?"

Unimon gave a small whinny. "It was my position. I didn't notice. I'm sorry."

"So what? We wait?" The bug was getting louder, now pointing at everyone in earshot. "Dinohyumon, you can't do squat about this. Is there nobody you can use? Nobody who's a sort of adept fighter here?"

George raised a hand, and the bug turned to face him. "What!?"

"Pardon me, but I don't get it. Can't you all, you know, fight? I saw Marsuamon and Wyvermon and everyone using special powers earlier."

Wyvermon looked a little smug, but Arimon was less so. "It's not the same. None of us know how to fight here. Not properly. Dallurmon forbids conflict in his realms."

George raised an eyebrow. "You seemed to be doing fine."

"We, uh...Wyvermon and I would...practise. Out of sight." The knight turned to the overseers and gave a quick bow. "I'm sorry."

Dinohyumon rolled his eyes. "Trust me, we already knew what you two were up to. But carry on."

The sheep raised his arms. "Even then it wasn't enough. Fangmon was only a Champion level, but he lived outside Dallurmon's jurisdiction. He lived by life and death; that's why he was so powerful. Even if we do sort of know how to fight, Rookies like us stand no chance."

There was a grunt, and a cloud of dust as Joel kicked the dirt. "You're all useless! I'll fight this guy if I have to!"

Alasdair whirled upon him. "You'll do no such thing!"

"Oh yeah? Why not?"

Alasdair narrowed his eyes. "I'm older than you. And I know your mother."

All the while, Neonamon was looking between everyone in interest, humming as he did so. The corners of his mouth were twitching by the minute, curling upwards uncontrollably. A flustered Jiminymon finally noticed, and nodded over at him. "I know that look. Spit it out. What do you have in mind?"

Neonamon climbed on top of a rock so he had a bit of a better view of everybody. "Clearly the villagers here are useless."

"Thanks a lot."

"Just an observation." Neonamon smiled over at the children. "Maybe you could take their place? We can't get reinforcements way out here in any short time, and by the sounds of it this Hookmon could strike at any moment."

"And you want us to fight?" Alasdair shook his head. "We're not like you. We wouldn't stand a chance."

"Maybe not on your own. But if what you're saying is true..." The serpent trailed off, and his gaze slid back towards Wyvermon, who all of a sudden wasn't standing quite as tall as he had been.

Jiminymon was the one who interjected, stomping over to the base of the rock and practically crimson with fury. "Are you out of your mind?"

"Come on, Jimmy, it's a good idea! We've got to be adaptable!"

"Don't call me Jimmy!" yelled the bug, utterly beside herself. "You want to put the fate of this village, a village under _our jurisdiction_ , I might add, under the control of _aliens?_ Do you _want_ us to drown in paperwork?"

Some way away, Lizzie puffed out her cheeks. "Great, so that's how much we mean to you."

The cricket stammered. "Of course, your safety is important as well..."

Alasdair folded his arms. "We don't even know how this evolution thing works. It was almost certainly a fluke."

"Maybe not." Rachel stood up behind, clenching and opening her fists nervously. "We know the D-Port had something to do with it. Maybe if we did it, we could find out more about how it works."

Lizzie's head snapped up. "And after everything that's happened, how in god's name would that be a good idea?"

Rachel swallowed, and her voice dropped a little. "We could figure out how to get home."

Lizzie shut right up. She looked over at Alasdair, then at Rachel, then at Jiminymon who was still busy getting flustered. However Neonamon was unmoved. "It makes sense. One Digimon, one...human, was it?" He grinned. "They can go down and see what they can do. Even if they get seen, they won't be an immediate threat. We could probably get quite close."

"We? What do you mean we...?" Jiminymon chirruped, and her wings fluttered. "You only suggested this so you could get to see it happen, didn't you?"

Neonamon fluttered his eyelids.

"...guilty..."

Alasdair raised a hand. The chattering stopped, and the boy posed a question towards Marsuamon. "Is that Hookmon thing the only other monster around here?"

The wallaby bit her lip. "He's the only one I ever saw. At least, the only one of any threat."

Yvonne looked up at her friend. "Ali, what are you thinking?"

"Some way to get us out of sitting around in locked rooms doing nothing." The boy cleared his throat, and addressed the overseers. "Can I make an exchange with you? Given that I have already saved your village once."

Yvonne whistled, and a couple of the other kids chuckled under their breath, despite the tension. The overseers didn't seem to find it so funny. Seasarmon let out a purr. "We're listening..."

"We don't want to bother you or wreck your lives or anything, I promise. But we've caused you some misfortune. I'm sorry." He swallowed. "If we help you again, and get rid of this...Hookmon...thing...would you let us go?"

"Release you? All of you?"

"All seven of us. And the D-Port. We need it."

The overseers glanced at one another, and pulled back, whispering. Alasdair turned around, and gave the others an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. It's the best I could think of."

"And what about me?"

The boy looked over at Wyvermon, who was stomping over, looking slightly peeved. "I didn't sign up for this."

"Would you help us? Please?"

The dragon grinned. "Are you joking? I'd love to do that again."

He laughed, and Alasdair joined in half-heartedly. The overseers pulled apart again, and Seasarmon stepped forwards. "Your final goal...it's really to go back to where you came from, isn't it?"

Alasdair nodded. The divine dog sat down, and looked down at Jiminymon. "I understand the taboo, but honestly, we have no reason not to trust them. And frankly, they're our only option at the minute."

Neonamon grinned sideways at Jiminymon, who ignored him. She looked back at Alasdair, who stood aloof, but shuffling his feet slightly. "You're the only one who evolved, aren't you?"

The boy nodded. "Just me and Wyvermon. We should be able to handle it."

"Uh, excuse me..." Yvonne stood up and clamped a hand on Alasdair's shoulder, turning him around. "What do you mean just you two? You're not going down on your own, are you?"

Alasdair swallowed. "We're the only ones who need to. I don't want to endanger you guys."

"And you and I both know that kind of baloney doesn't fly with me." Yvonne jabbed her chest with a thumb. "I'm coming."

Rachel stood up. "You'll need the D-Port as well. I don't want you to break it."

"You already broke it."

"I still want to come."

Joel leapt to his feet. "I wanna beat up a monster!"

Marsuamon pumped her fists together. "Me too!"

Lizzie crouched up, keeping her head purposefully down in this grand discussion. Chupamon opened one eye, and raised a claw. " _I can offer my services."_

"You're staying where we can see you, devil."

 _"Thought so."_

"Alright, stop, STOP!" Alasdair shouted everyone down, looking at everybody in turn. "You can't all come! That defeats the purpose! Wyvermon and I are the only ones who need to do this; none of you need to help! We'll be fine! We've done this before; we know what we're doing!"

There was silence all around. Lucy ceased her nail-biting for a moment, and raised a hand.

"I'm coming too."

* * *

So it came to pass (eventually) that a small group of humans and Digimon were making their way down the hillside towards the dense thicket. Alasdair and Wyvermon were there, of course. Yvonne was joining them (having been adamant) as well as Arimon (who decided he worked well with Wyvermon). Marsuamon had been temporarily released as well, with the idea that she could at least guide the children in the right direction. Rachel brought up the rear, with the D-Port slung over her back with leather straps. She too could be quite determined when it mattered. The overseers had stayed behind, along with George, Lucy, a relieved Lizzie and a very irritated Joel.

Only a couple of other Digimon were joining the group on their little manhunt, and one of them was decidedly not best pleased with the situation.

" _WHY_ am I _HERE? AGAIN?"_

Neonamon smiled, and patted Jiminymon on the top of the head. "I'm doing research. And I need you to look after me. It's protocol."

Jiminymon let off a very menacing buzz. "I'll protocol your adorable face in a minute."

"Come on. You love being around me."

"Sometimes."

Under her breath, Marsuamon smiled, and glanced behind them. Rachel was dragging her feet a little, the device on her back slowing her down. The wallaby dropped back herself, and peered in closer. Rachel looked sideways. "What is it?"

"I was wondering what that thing was." Marsuamon smiled. "How'd it give Wyvermon all that power? Do you...press things, or...what?"

"Don't touch it!"

"I'm not gonna!" The kangaroo shuffled, but kept pace. "But you've gotta tell me what it's for. How it works."

"It wasn't meant to." Rachel shrugged, pulling the D-Port further up her back as she looked ahead. "I don't know what it was meant to do, but it definitely wasn't meant for this."

"You're stuck here, huh." Marsuamon patted her feet, rubbing beneath her chin. "I know the feeling. Stuck doing something I didn't wanna do."

"With Fangmon?"

"Yeah. He just kinda showed up one day and stole me away from my folks. You saw the way he dealt with people."

Rachel tilted her head. "Why did you stay with him?"

"Cause the more I said no, the more he beat me."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Not your fault." The wallaby grinned, and punched Rachel lightly on the arm. "Besides, with your help I can finally get back at these Nightmare Soldier jokers."

"Ow."

"Was that too hard? Sorry."

"Everyone, shush!"

Up ahead, Alasdair held up a hand, and the entire party bunched together momentarily as the members walked into one another. The boy waved harshly, and they all crouched, hiding behind a particularly dense bit of thicket. Yvonne was the first to poke her head out, pulling her goggles over her eyes as she scanned the area. Alasdair pulled her back towards him, shaking his head. "What are those for?" he whispered.

Yvonne shrugged. "It looks cool?"

"It looks stupid. Look properly."

Yvonne stuck her tongue out, but she obliged, pushing up the goggles and looking again. She shuffled over to the other side, and beckoned with a hand, holding a finger from her other one up to her lips.

Alasdair moved, as did Arimon, and Wyvermon, and Marsuamon who had manoeuvred her way towards the front of the group. Jiminymon stayed back, muttering under her breath. "Nobody here knows what they're doing."

The others ignored them, peering through the gap in the thicket. It was Hookmon alright; lying on his back against a tree-stump, with his hat down over his face(?). The whole area was still littered with plunder, and in one corner, a cage lay on its side with a conked-out bird inside it. Marsuamon made a face. "I guess they had an argument."

"What do we do?"

Yvonne looked around the area, her chin out in concentration. "So...some of us go rescue the bird. Some others..." She glanced back at the sleeping pirate, and frowned. "Is it really right to leave him there? Shouldn't we wake him up?"

Alasdair blinked, and Wyvermon's paw went to his face. Jiminymon was livid, her back legs shaking together as she hissed, "Are you insane? You want to make it more difficult for us?"

"Well it's not very fair. Or very sporting."

"We're already overpowered. It's not sport; it's life or death!"

Marsuamon pointed behind her back. "We'll probably be loud enough to wake him just by having Wyvermon evolve."

The dragon and Alasdair looked at one another, and looked away. Wyvermon went slightly red. "I, uh, I'm not sure quite how we did this."

"It'll be fine. It'll come to you." Jiminymon sighed, and looked behind them at Rachel. "Come on; put the device down so we can get this nightmare over with."

Rachel wasn't paying attention. She was kneeling up, looking behind them all. Jiminymon sighed, and clicked her leg. "Oi, you girl. Over here. You're needed."

"There's something behind us."

"What?"

"It's looking at us."

All around, everyone stopped what they were doing. Rachel held the device in her hands, suddenly gripping it very tightly. Alasdair and Yvonne stared back into the undergrowth, then at one another. Jiminymon became very quiet indeed.

"It's been watching us as soon as we entered the woods."

Behind them was a rustling, and a small rumbling. With a grinding of gears and a shower of mud, a creature pulled itself out of the ground, as smoothly as if emerging from a pond. It was a great deal bigger than Hookmon; like an immense brick-red earthworm with grinding drills and broad augers adorning its body, slowly spinning down. It had a flattened metal head like a shovel, on which were two perfectly round eyes and several smaller vestigial ones.

It sighed, revealing a wide mouth edged with serrated blades.

"And here I was enjoying your conversation."

The group was deathly silent. Then there was a yelp, as the D-Port slipped through Rachel's grasp, crashing heavily on the dirt beneath. Alasdair and Yvonne looked back into the thicket, and watched Hookmon sit up, fast as anything. He reached up, and pushed his hat back, revealing his single eye, which moved directly to where the group was crouched. From his position behind them, the worm tutted to himself.

"Well, I suppose if you weren't going to tell him then I was. My name's Oligomon, by the way."

There was a commotion within the cage, and the blue bird sat up. "Oh, do we have visitors?" she twittered, peering out as best she could.

Hookmon said nothing. He simply raised his musket.

* * *

 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	4. Episode 4: All the Way Home

_**Digimon Inferno: Playing with Matches**_

 _ **Episode 4: All the Way Home**_

* * *

Life-or-death situations are magical things. When one is faced with an irate pirate on one side, and a giant smarmy cross-eyed earthworm on the other, really any action or suggestion, no matter how insane, is likely to progress matters in some manner of a useful direction.

In this case, it was Yvonne who jumped to her feet, putting her hands to her mouth. "Plan B!"

The group instantly started to panic, tripping over their own feet as they tried to get standing. Arimon stopped, and looked up at Yvonne. "Wait, what the hell is plan B?"

There was an explosion, and a cannonball shot past his muzzle, entering the thicket beyond. Yvonne jumped, and pulled the sheep to his feet.

"Leg it!"

The group scattered in five different directions, as the cannonballs kept coming. In the thicket, Oligomon watched the creatures run around with some amusement. "Well...it would appear the chase is on."

He slipped down back into the dirt, and moved through with a ripple, his gears clinking mechanically as he thought about who to track first. He settled on the furthest pair, who turned out to be Alasdair and Wyvermon, rushing through the ferns with their hands over their heads.

"...must be how Hookmon always knew what was going on. He had a spy!"

"I get that, but why an Oligomon?" Wyvermon gulped for breath, and hid behind one of the nearest trees. "They're usually benign. They don't get involved in wicked acts like this."

" **Slate Shrapnel!** "

The great body of the worm burst from the ground, catching the dragon off guard. Oligomon opened his mouth and fired; tiny yet razor sharp shards of liquid rock which sliced into the surrounding area. One would have taken out the dragon's eye had Alasdair not roughly shoved him to the side, taking the blade to his shoulder instead. He gritted his teeth, and just narrowly missed having his foot clamped by Oligomon's metal jaws. They ran back, away from the worm's reach, as it chuckled and lugged itself around. "Benign? Honestly...what kind of fairy stories do you listen to?"

Wyvermon glared back. "I met one of you once. Your kind shouldn't be doing this. It's not natural."

"Natural?" The metal snake laughed. "Don't you find it a little patronising to be behaving merely due to the types of data we are? The life we were given at birth? Come on; I'm an opportunist. Dallurmon's hold has made you weak, whereas the rogues are taking control. Your world of order is over. I'm merely picking the right side."

Alasdair stood up, clutching his wounded shoulder. "It's not a question of birth. It's a question of basic human decency."

Oligomon shrugged. "It's handy I'm not human then. Whatever that is." The jaw pulled back into a grimace, and he sunk down once again into the earth.

Wyvermon glanced up at his partner. "Are you okay?"

Alasdair narrowed his eyes, seemingly staring into nothing. "Running isn't going to solve anything." He looked down. "We need to find Rachel. And the D-Port."

The boy and the dragon weren't the only ones who had decided to turn back. Taking advantage of the chaos, Yvonne, Arimon and Marsuamon had wormed their way back into the clearing, running towards the cage. Hookmon was still blasting at all the movement he could see, and his back was currently turned. The bird inside the cage was going into a frenzy, letting out yips and jeers of nervous excitement.

"Oh gosh oh gosh oh gosh! It's happening! I'm part of a battle! An all-out battle royale!"

Marsuamon raised an eyebrow. "You sure have some weird priorities."

"Well, I have to pass the time somehow," twittered the bird excitedly.

"Not for much longer. Step back, m'lady." Arimon lifted his dagger, the blade glowing, and pressed it against the cage door. " **Brave Dagger!** "

He stabbed forwards, and the lock fell apart, along with most of the cage. The bird spread her wings, revealing the full extent of her exquisite plumage. "Oh, that feels good! I'm ready! I can fly again!"

Arimon gave a little bow. "It was my pleasure-"

" **Floral Burst!** "

The bird was no longer listening; instead she had flown straight up, and had fired a twister of flower-petals right into the back of Hookmon, embedding most of them in his jacket. They didn't have much effect, other than causing him to turn around, and witness upon the breakout attempt in progress. Yvonne bit her lip, and Marsuamon gawped up at the bird above.

" _Why would you do that you moron?"_

The bird giggled. "I'm Mynahmon, by the way."

Hookmon was already marching forwards, his razor-sharp hook raised and ready to gut anything in its path. He brought it down, but Arimon stood fast, his own dagger raised to block the attack. He grinned. "You didn't think it was going to be easy, did you?"

Hookmon blinked, and twisted his hook. The dagger flew out of Arimon's hand, and straight into the pile of junk.

"Oh."

The sheep ducked as Hookmon swiped, ripping out a clump of his wool. He scarpered out the way, but Marsuamon charged in with a headbutt, catching the pirate in the midriff. It didn't have much effect; Hookmon was nowhere near as erratic a fighter as Fangmon, and was far more calculating and precise in his moves. In a couple of seconds both Arimon and Marsuamon were lying on their backs, severely winded. Hookmon stood up, and turned silently towards Yvonne.

" **Scratch Sonic!** "

There was a terrible scraping sound, and Hookmon took a step. He swayed slightly, before looking behind him at where Jiminymon was standing, her hind legs vibrating and making an ugly sound. Neonamon jumped up and down beside her, "You did it! Nice shot!"

"Hey Hookmon, I caught something."

Everyone turned towards Oligomon, who thrust his head back and something out of the bushes. Yvonne and the others gasped; it was Rachel, still clutching onto the D-Port even as she was rolled onto her back.

"You!?"

The worm frowned, and glanced aside to where Neonamon had shuffled forwards. "I know you! You work as an intern for Dallurmon, don't you?"

Oligomon shrugged. "Darn. You got me."

Jiminymon started. "You work for _Dallurmon?"_ She looked at Hookmon, then back at the worm, then between the two, looking like she was going to have a fit. _"What the heck are you doing with this lunatic then?"_

"I changed my mind."

There was a bang, and Jiminymon leapt forwards, the cannonball only just missing her. Oligomon shrugged, and turned away from her, refocusing his attention on the pirate. "Ignore her. She's a little obsessive."

 _"You are a traitor to our leader and I will-"_

"Aaaaaanyway..." Oligomon glanced down to where Rachel was still pinned beneath him, looking up in an irritated fashion. The worm raised his tail and dropped it on her stomach, holding her in place. "This one seems to have something interesting with her. Could make for nice junk."

"Don't you dare!" Rachel smacked at Oligomon, but it was like hitting an iron bar, and within seconds the worm had wrested the device away from her. It was whirring slightly, but Oligomon didn't care to be careful, slamming it to the ground and peering all around. "What the hell is this thing anyway? What the hell are all of you?"

 _"Give it back!"_

"Rachel!" Alasdair and Wyvermon burst into the clearing, running straight towards them. Oligomon looked up, and smiled.

"Aha, you're back."

" **Jewel Rush!** "

With a whirr, Oligomon slipped down into the dirt, causing Wyvermon to charge into nothing. The worm emerged behind him, and merely batted him away with his tail.

"I'd be careful if I were you. There are two of us you need to think about."

He waved nonchalantly over at Hookmon, who was currently standing once again in the centre of the clearing. Slung over his shoulder was Yvonne, who was struggling and kicking the air to no avail. She laughed nervously. "Whoops."

"Let her go!"

"You say that a lot, don't you?" Oligomon looked up into the sky, at where Mynahmon was still flapping around. "You should probably come down here if you don't want the female to get diced."

Reluctantly, everyone stepped forward. Hookmon's lone eye darted between each of them, keeping an eye on all their positions. Then he looked down at the device. Oligomon grinned, and moved it upright, showing it off from all angles. "Shiny, right?"

As expected, the pirate didn't answer. He merely flung his hook-hand back, sending Yvonne rolling to the ground, and raised his cannon at the device.

"NO!"

 _CRACK_

Hookmon looked down disapprovingly the girl crouching before him, the device in her arms. She's pushed it out of the way of the cannonball. But she hadn't been quite so lucky, as the projectile had struck her foot, wrenching it sideways.

"Rachel!"

"Oh god!"

Through tears, Rachel glared up at the pirate, who was now striding towards her, spinning his hook. "My dad worked his whole life on that machine...I won't let you...or anyone...break it..."

Yvonne looked up from across the clearing, with Arimon beside her, trying to help her up. "Rachel...please...don't do this..."

The younger girl shook her head, and held tightly to the device, still shaking from the pain. Alasdair and Wyvermon were beside her, placing themselves between the pirate and the girl. Hookmon blinked again, and raised his hook, the metal glinting in the sunlight.

"I've had enough of this! **Crackin' Kick!** "

With a yell Marsuamon rushed forwards, and slammed her entire body into Hookmon from the side. He stumbled, but remained standing. But it was enough time for Marsuamon to turn towards Rachel.

"That thing's our best hope, isn't it? You got something amazing there; you've gotta use it!"

She stretched out a hand, looking Rachel in the eye.

"Will you show me its power?"

Rachel's bright blue eyes stared out, straight into the kangaroo's purple ones. She swallowed, closed her eyes, and held her hand over one of the buttons. Alasdair saw, and tried to reach for it, but he was too late.

"Rachel, no-"

The D-Port hummed into life, and the familiar tornado was starting up, this time a bright, fiery orange. Oligomon backed away nervously, but Hookmon saw the building energy and reacted instantly. He rushed forwards, raised his hook and slashed down, piercing the metal. There was a metallic screech, and a burst of orange light blew him backwards. He got to his feet quickly, but already Marsuamon was standing between him and the device, the light burning behind her as she cracked her knuckles.

The orange tornado reached out, swirling and pulsating. Alasdair and Wyvermon tried to reach out, but it wouldn't let them. It rejected them. They weren't its concern. Slowly, they were forced further away, and they could only watch as the vortex twisted, and focused its burning maw on Rachel.

"...don't do it..."

The girl looked over at them from her crippled position, and her expression was unreadable. She looked all around. Then back at Marsuamon. Then she raised her palm, and planted it inside the vortex, and in moments she was gone.

Marsuamon could feel the heat rising behind her, and she closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable burst of energy.

She still wasn't prepared, letting out a visceral scream of pain as the vortex stabbed her in the back. For a brief moment, her cries merged with Rachel's. Then they dissolved, and collapsed, replaced only by a faint whistle, and the ever-present ripping of static.

* * *

 _The girl sat, in the middle of nowhere and nothing, staring at the world in front of her. Her face was blank. All around her, blank-faced men and woman walked around. Living their own lives. Talking amongst themselves._

 _She was nothing. A non-entity. A mere passer-by herself._

 _Suddenly, Marsuamon was sat beside her. She looked around, and whistled. "Big world, ain't it."_

 _"Mm."_

 _"Is this a dangerous world?"_

 _Rachel shook her head. "It's cruel. Nasty. But really, most of the time people just...forget you." She looked to the side. "I don't want to be forgotten for the rest of my life. I want...someone."_

 _"Do you know who?"_

 _A shake of the head._

 _Marsuamon kicked the air with her toes. "Sometimes you can make all the noise in the world, and you can't make a difference." She smiled. "I wanna change that."_

 _Rachel nodded, but said nothing. Marsuamon held out a palm. "I'll do it if you want to."_

 _The girl sat there for a second. Her eyes seemed distant. Yearning. As if trying to remember something long forgotten._

 _She smiled a porcelain smile, and reached out, and took the wallaby's hand._

 _"Let's stay together."_

 _Marsuamon grinned. "You and me. Partners."_

* * *

Marsuamon's body jerked, writhing back and forth as her skin, and the glowing grid beneath, rippled and tore.

"Marsuamon, Soul Interlock!"

"Evolution Activate!"

Her body shifted rapidly, starting with her legs, which more than quadrupled in length. Her arms followed suit, and all her limbs bulged, new and powerful muscles rippling beneath. Her shoulders broadened, as did her chest, and she staggered, her back heaving as she began to shrug off the orange energy around her, revealing her new, empowered form.

Her fur was paler than Marsuamon's had been, and all over her body, she wore bound bandages, so tightly wrapped that you could see the musculature rippling beneath. Her hands and long feet were tipped in conical black claws, and around her shoulders, elbows, knees and knuckles she wore leathery pads, adorned with more broad spikes like knuckledusters. More of the bandages were wrapped around her muzzle, which was squatter than before, making her look slightly more human. Purple markings adorned her chest, back and the top of her head, and her eyes were piercing and sharp, intersected on both sides by two red scars. She rolled her neck, and her stance widened as she loosened all her limbs in turn. Her body was lithe, but dripping with physical power and flawless form. She was a brawler, and one long overdue her fight.

"Procoptomon!"

There was a mechanical crunching as Oligomon scuttled backwards, suddenly looking a whole lot less smug. "Oh geez, you're, um...you're a whole lot bigger than you were."

Hookmon was far less put off by the sudden transformation of his opponent. He rushed forwards in a flash, his hook shining as he brought it up, slicing into Procoptomon's shoulder even as she jumped back. She huffed, and flicked her muzzle with her thumb, angling herself. "Bring it. I know you've got more," she taunted.

The pirate stepped back, raising his musket and firing three cannonballs in turn. But the kangaroo was hitting her stride now, and she effortlessly dodged each one of them, circling the pirate. But Hookmon was only half paying attention. He suddenly changed direction, rushing towards the now-exposed D-Port with murder in his eye.

"Oh no you don't!"

Procoptomon was behind him in an instant, grabbing his arm and effortlessly flinging him away. He rolled in the dirt, but quickly got to his feet, only for the kangaroo's fist to hit him smack in the face(?). He rolled with it, and prepared to fire a point-blank shot at her head, but she closed her free-hand over the barrel and squeezed, buckling the metal. The pirate looked up, and she brought her head down, straight onto his tricorn. He staggered, and brought his cannon-arm up, looking down at the bent barrel. Procoptomon hopped back and forth before him.

"Guess that ain't doing anything anymore."

Hookmon shrugged his shoulder, and the cannon split in two, revealing a stubby spike and the remains of a flintlock trigger. He stabbed forwards, gouging Procoptomon's forearm just as she made to block.

"Oh, come on..."

The pirate was not to be put off; with the cumbersome cannon removed he was twice as fast, slashing and stabbing and making many cheap shots. But the kangaroo was matching him move for move. As he brought the hook down, she leapt backwards onto her hands, thrusting both feet out in a brutal kick that sent him skidding backwards. The pirate's once-pristine coat was now matted with blood and dirt, but he was still standing. His eye had narrowed dangerously. He was still out for blood.

It was Procoptomon who moved first, dodging the blow from his spike and whirling around to punch him in the back of the head. As he stumbled forwards, she gave a sweeping kick which was intercepted by his hook mid-swing. She ducked back, very nearly having her eye taken out by the spike, but Hookmon was still fast, bringing up his elbow into her chin.

She stepped aside, and landed a punch, right in the gut. He stepped back, but she followed it up again, and again, each blow increasing in power and rapidity. Despite the pirate's great resilience, he was being driven back. And still she kept coming.

The punches increased in velocity, striking him in the chest, the arm, the other arm (breaking it), and several times in the face, so much so that his lone eye was obscured by blood and bone shards. Then, at the apex of her volley, Procoptomon thrust both arms upwards, sending Hookmon several dozen metres into the air. She huffed, widened her stance, and jumped, hovering at her peak only slightly higher than he was. He turned, and his eye opened barely, seeing her lithe form up above him. She winked.

" **Blindside Bruiser!** "

Her legs uncoiled with the force of a cannon, striking Hookmon directly in the back with a brutal two-footed kick. There was a harsh crack, and the pirate's body rocketed earthwards, striking the ground with a sickening crunch and a miniature explosion of dust.

Everyone around gaped as Procoptomon landed beside him, light as a feather. She stood tall, and looked down at his dissolving form. He was already dead.

The kangaroo bowed her head, ever so slightly. "The game is mine."

She turned, and her eyes fell upon Oligomon, who was still stood, mouth hanging open on the ground. She raised an eyebrow. "What are you still doing here?"

The worm Digimon made a sound halfway between a quack and a scared bleat, and sunk into the dirt in a matter of seconds. There was a slight rumble as he powered away, with the vague and highly muffled promise that they hadn't seen the last of him.

Nobody was really paying any attention at this point.

* * *

It was early afternoon, and the sky was clouding over slightly. Rebuilding the village was going quickly and efficiently, and the children had been shifted over to a slightly larger and more comfortable area, at least for the time being. Not that it helped relieve the tension. Every so often they could hear raised voices in the next building across, where Jiminymon and the overseers were busy making worrying decisions.

Not that it was that dour. Arimon, Wyvermon and Marsuamon were hanging around, chatting and generally providing support. Mynahmon had been rescued as well, and she was busy catching the four children left behind up on everything that had happened, in her own hyper-excitable way.

"...and then the kangaroo hit him, and then she hit him again, and it was so cool what she did, but he brought up the gun and I know that's a powerful gun cause I saw it blow up a whole tree once, and maybe even two trees at one time but I don't know cause one of them he'd hit before, but he was able to hit it from miles away and he was so scary, and...

And so on, and so on, and so on. Lizzie's head was bobbing up and down slightly as she tried to stay awake, although Lucy was transfixed.

On the other side of the room, Rachel glanced over, and allowed herself a small smirk. Miraculously, her injury from earlier had just been a glancing blow. Either that or she was just healing quickly. This world did seem to have strange properties here and there.

At the very least, she was able to move her foot again, and for that she was thankful. She sat next to the D-Port, her palm on its roof. Her fingers ran over the hole in the metal where Hookmon had pierced it, and she tensed, rubbing at the damage. The metal still felt warm, and let off a very low hum. For once, it didn't seem to be too threatening.

Marsuamon shuffled up to her, and held out a fist. "We did good out there today." She hovered, waiting for a response, but Rachel just blinked. Marsuamon cleared her throat, and folded her arms. "It felt sweet to let off some steam. Maybe we could do it again?"

Rachel's hand went to her shoulder, and she spoke very quietly. "It did feel good. Really good."

"You too, huh?"

Alasdair and Yvonne shuffled over, with the sheep and the dragon not far behind. Alasdair looked worried, and he glanced over at the D-Port. "I have no idea what this thing is. But I think it's going to change this world forever. I feel it in my gut."

Arimon sat down, and placed his paws on his knees. "Whatever the case, I'm sure it won't be the last time you'll need to use it." He looked around, and over at the other children. "We'll all need to be prepared to fight."

Alasdair gritted his teeth. "That's not what I want. But I have a feeling you're right. I just hope..." He looked over at the device, which seemed so benign, a far cry from the roaring beast that had brought them here.

"...I hope it's not going to backfire on us."

Rachel swallowed. "There's another thing."

"What is it?"

The girl pressed down on the top panel with her fingers, and shook a little. There was a distinct rattling sound. Yvonne and Alasdair looked at one another.

"We need this to get home. If it breaks...we'll be stuck here. Forever."

Yvonne wiped her mouth, exhaling loudly. "We've been here long enough. We need to get out of this village."

"Excuse me?"

There was a rapping at the entrance, and everybody turned, with the exception of Mynahmon, who kept yapping away until George tapped her on the head. Jiminymon stood at the door, with Neonamon on her back. She buzzed nervously, and her head was low.

"Okay, so the good news; you're no longer going to be executed."

The response was silence, with the exception of an audible sigh of relief by Alasdair and Lizzie. But the cricket still looked grave.

"This is out of all of our hands. You want to get home, don't you?"

Yvonne nodded, glancing at Rachel as she did so. "More than anything. We don't want to cause you any more trouble."

"Then we have no choice. I can't help you, but maybe I can bring you to somebody who can."

Neonamon grinned. "How would you guys like to meet our Lord Dallurmon?"

* * *

The children's send-off from the village wasn't given much fanfare, which was probably for the best. Only a few curious villagers had shown up, including a recently healed Gargoylemon and ExVeemon (Kabuterimon, still grumbling about everything being their fault, had boycotted the farewell).

Seasarmon and Dinohyumon stood at the gateway, looking over the assembled throng. There were the seven children, with George now carrying the D-Port on his back - the idea being that they would take it in turns to share the burden through the journey. Marsuamon had volunteered to go with them, as well as Mynahmon, who really had nowhere else to go. Jiminymon and Neonamon would act as their guides through the wilds (much to Jiminymon's chagrin), and although Dinohyumon had pleaded with them to stay and help the village, Wyvermon and Arimon had been determined to go as well.

"It's what we need to do," Arimon had said. "They're lost, and they need help. The more of us there are to protect them, the better."

So there they were. All were a little fidgety, and very nervous about the journey. Well, most of them. Yvonne and Mynahmon were practically giddy with excitement, and Lucy was just looking around, looking fairly disappointed.

Dinohyumon stepped forward, and handed Alasdair a sheet of paper, with detailed diagrams drawn on one side. "There's your map to the keep. Follow the road round the ridge, then across the savannah. It's a long way, but it should be relatively safe."

Alasdair took the map. "Thank you. For everything."

"Please don't." The lizard man waved a hand, his face stern. "Seriously, don't. You don't realise how much trouble we're in."

Seasarmon grinned. "Thanks for all the help, but please...don't come back."

Alasdair gave them a weary look, before sighing and turning, Wyvermon trotting at his side. The boy nodded to Jiminymon.

"Lead the way."

So they trudged off, leaving the village and its troubles behind for good.

Still, Rachel glanced back as it disappeared over the hill. In some ways she was happy to see the back of it, but at the same time, it felt like a step out of the frying pan and into the fire. Despite all the friction, for the most part the village had at least felt like a safe haven.

Now, they were stepping into the unknown.

For the first few miles, the road was straightforward and the group was quiet, with only the occasional nudge from Jiminymon to point them in the right direction. The best of the afternoon sun was behind them, and they all knew it wouldn't be long before further travel became impractical.

The sun seemed to set remarkably quickly, and with only the dim light of the D-Port to show them the way, the group knew it was time to find shelter. Marsuamon managed to find a suitable cave; roomy, and not too cold.

The Digimon volunteered to take shifts outside, just in case, although Jiminymon was adamant that there wouldn't be any Nightmare Soldiers this far out in the open. Perhaps there weren't, but her affirmation still sounded hollow, as if she didn't quite believe it herself. The light finally gave way to dark, and the children – exhausted and emotionally drained from the events of the past two days - tried to sleep, with visions of grinning hounds and silent killers dancing in their minds.

* * *

The three moons were high in the sky, shining down on Arimon as he stared up. The hills were quiet and restful, and rather beautiful at night it seemed. The little lamb had never been that far out of the village, and he was beginning to wonder why. He didn't even mind that he'd been pretty much abandoned as a lookout; Wyvermon had finished his shift, and Marsuamon was nowhere to be seen (although he was pretty sure he could hear her snoring inside). His hands were rested behind his head as he looked up at the sweeping galaxies above, wondering how large the Digital World really was. Although as far away as his thoughts were, he kept a constant ear out for his immediate surroundings. You never did know, after all.

Arimon heard a rustling behind him, and turned to see Yvonne stick her head out from the cave wall, her hair now loose and flowing. He smiled, gripping his dagger tightly.

"Can't sleep?"

"No way." The girl quickly poked her head back inside, and for a brief moment the sounds of snoring emanated from the cave. She grimaced. "The others are doing fine though. I think they've had it."

"Not surprised, with the day you've had."

Yvonne emerged fully, staring up at the night sky as she joined her partner on the hillside. "No matter how many times I look at it, it's still amazing. You're all amazing."

"Yeah, well…" Arimon scratched behind his head. "Sorry. You shouldn't have been mixed up in all of this; none of you should. But I promise it's going to be fine; we're going to find Dallurmon and we're going to send you home."

"It's okay, I believe you." Yvonne laughed, gently clasping the sheep's hand. "I know a noble knight when I see one."

Arimon's normally lilac face fur turned slightly pinker than usual, and he pulled away rapidly. For a moment he stood, silent. Then he yawned, and immediately clamped his hands over his mouth, looking worriedly at Yvonne. She laughed.

"It's alright. Relax. You're doing great."

Arimon turned, looking into her with his wide eyes. "You really think so?"

"Well I don't know about the others, but I feel safe." Yvonne grinned. "I trust you. I know you'll protect us."

She yawned herself, and her eyelids began to droop. The sheep pointed. "Go on. Get some rest. It's a long walk tomorrow."

"I guess I should, shouldn't I…"

Arimon exhaled, shaking his head, as the girl crawled back inside the cave, leaving him alone on the hillside. He leant back again, his dagger rested beside him. Gingerly he reached out, running a claw down its blade.

Even out here he could feel the slight tingle; one which coursed throughout his body whenever near the children. Near that device. His thoughts turned to knights in armour, and holy warriors wielding purifying flame. Such power. Such potential.

"I wonder…"

As he lay back, he could never have known that he wasn't the only one thinking such thoughts, as both Digimon and human alike dreamed of power beyond their imaginations, and bonds that would last a lifetime.

Neonamon grinned as he lay coiled atop the D-Port, dreaming of new worlds, and new discoveries. Below him, the D-Port continued glowing ever so slightly. It never slept. Never stopped. It knew its purpose. Silently, it kept watch over the children from the corner of the room, its screen glowing with the tiniest pinprick of red light, like an all-seeing eye.

* * *

More of the party were shocked than not at the fact that, somehow, they _hadn't_ been woken up in the middle of the night and had to run from some hellish creature. Quite well rested, and really quite upbeat, Alasdair got everyone moving as quickly as he could (although nowhere near as fast as Jiminymon would have liked).

"It's a nice morning. We can make some good ground today; I can feel it."

Yvonne looked aside at him. "You know you're gonna jinx it."

"Shush, you."

As the sun rose higher through the morning, the group's travels remained relatively event-free. There wasn't much map-reading to do while the road was still clear, and most of the group were transfixed with the landscape around them. George had been delegated temporary device-wielder, a task which he was finding gradually more difficult as the morning wore on. Rachel noticed him struggling, and edged backwards, eyeing the dev ice as it wobbled precariously.

George let out a breath, and pulled the D-Port further up again. "If your dad makes another one of these it had better be lighter."

"I'll ask him."

George hummed to himself. "I wonder..."

"What?"

George looked down for a couple of seconds, then glanced to the left. "Does your dad know we're here? As in...in the Digital World?"

Rachel remained silent. Her head was down, and her hair obscured her face. George bit his tongue, and kept walking.

"He'll say it was his fault."

"Hm?"

"He always says it's his fault. That's why nobody listens to him."

George blinked. "You listen to him. You love him."

Rachel gave a small nod. The boy reached back, and ran his hand down the smooth metal of the D-Port. "Is that why you're hanging onto this so badly?"

Another nod. "I want him to be happy. If he's happy, maybe I'll be happy." She sniffed. "There's not much at home at the moment to make me happy."

The group was making good headway, but soon, the novelty of the new world began to wear off, as the journey began to wear them out. Joel was beginning to get restless, as he would frequently drop behind, kicking at stones. Rachel was getting tired quickly as well, despite Marsuamon hopping beside her, offering words (and occasional shoves) of encouragement. It was all beginning to get very taxing, and thankfully, after the sixty-fifth monotonous game of I-Spy, they reached the first significant crossroads. Jiminymon was anxious to keep moving, but it was too much in one go. So they stopped, resting their feet just for a while.

George sat down, carefully unloading the hefty device from his back and stretching. "I never could hike very well."

He stared up, and all around, before sitting down, and pulling out a small, pocket notepad, and a stub of pencil. Neonamon tilted his head, and slithered over, peering over his shoulder. "What are you doing?"

The boy adjusted his glasses, and pointed forwards. "I want to get some of this down." He showed the snake a few sketches he'd made to pass the time; rough yet detailed drawings of the village, and a few of its residents. He flipped a page. "See, there are you and Jiminymon."

The snake squinted. "Her legs aren't that big, are they? Only she gets sensitive."

The boy chuckled, and added a few more lines. "It's only for fun. I'm not very good. But I like having things to remember places by." He stared up at the faintly purple sky. "I want to remember this place. It's pretty fantastic."

He wasn't the only one who thought so. Arimon and Mynahmon were sitting not far away, listening to Yvonne as she gestured grandly, recounting tales of the human world and the wonders that remained back there. Arimon was absolutely transfixed, and Mynahmon remained immensely excited, interjecting so often it was a wonder Yvonne was able to tell any story at all.

Joel was still wobbling around, pretend-balancing on the edge of the pathway, but even that was losing its novelty. He thrust his hands in his pockets, and flounced over to Alasdair, who was sitting with Lizzie and Jiminymon, studying the map. The boy coughed, but when that didn't get his attention, he dug his foot into Alasdair's lower back. The older boy glared up at him. "What?"

"I'm bored. When will we get there?"

Jiminymon buzzed. "A few days. Why?"

" _Daaaaays_?"

"Yes, well, this way we avoid any more trouble." Alasdair flapped the map edges nonchalantly. "We need to keep the D-Port safe."

"Why are we worrying about that? We can beat anyone." Joel huffed, and folded his arms. "If you won't do it I will. I'll change into something."

Lizzie leaned back, mumbling over her shoulder. "Fat lot of good you'll be."

"What?"

Joel made to march forwards, but Alasdair grabbed his wrist tightly, shaking his head. "We're busy. Don't even think about it."

Joel blew a raspberry at the group, and stomped off, as they all watched him. Wyvermon tapped his claws. "Do all your young act like that?"

Alasdair slumped, looking dejected already. "Thankfully not. He's a special case though; he gets...touchy."

Some way away, Joel was making entertainment as best he could by stomping around in circles, muttering under his breath in Urdu. "‹ _I'll change into something awesome and then I'll jump on you all and you'll all be sorry..._ ›"

He became aware of Lucy wandering by, swinging her bag and biting her thumbnail. She stopped, looking at him, and following his circular pathway around. Joel stopped. "What!?"

The girl blinked. "You'll get dizzy."

"No I won't."

"I do."

"Cause you're a girl." Joel grinned. "Bet I can spin faster than you."

Lucy gave a small smile, and dropped the bag from her shoulder. She waited, as Joel stepped back, holding his arms out. "Ready...one, two, three!"

Moments later, there was a thud and a distinct yowl. The rest of the group looked up to see Lucy and Joel both lying in the dirt, after, mid-spin, Lucy had trodden on the hem of her dress and promptly smacked into Joel. Joel was busy laughing his head off, despite a nosebleed. Lucy just quietly got up onto her knees, staring off into the distance. Lizzie turned round, and called over. "You okay? No damage?"

Lucy pointed. "Someone's here."

The others turned to look, and indeed there was; a small figure, crouching in the vegetation by the side of the path. Wyvermon got on his haunches, immediately aggressive. "We've been found? Out here?"

Lucy suddenly gasped, and smiled widely. "I know you! Chupamon!"

Some way away, Rachel jolted awake, and Yvonne spluttered on her story, turning around. "What? Chupamon? What?"

The little devil sighed, and marched out into the sun, squinting in the bright light. He nodded over at Lucy. " _You've got good eyes. Too good._ "

He looked to the side, and saw Wyvermon marching forwards, growling as he did so.

 _"Oh, not this again..."_

"What the hell are you doing here, devil? You're supposed to be locked up at the village."

 _"Duh. I broke out."_

"How?"

 _"Really easily, actually."_ Chupamon shrugged. " _I could have done it at any time, really. It was just nice to hang around there away from Fangmon. But he's not around anymore, thanks to you people."_ He nodded at Alasdair. _"You seem far more interesting than that old dump. Figured I might join you."_

Wyvermon growled, and he crouched, but Marsuamon placed a hand on the dragon's shoulder. "It's cool, scales, it's cool."

The dragon flinched. "Don't call me scales, you heathen."

"Well then don't call him devil." Marsuamon's gentle paw turned into a sharp punch, leaving Wyvermon's shoulder smarting. The wallaby was unapologetic in her defence. "You saw what he did around Fangmon; he's a good guy."

 _"No I'm not."_

"Don't you start! You know I can beat you up as well as him."

 _"That's no lie."_ Chupamon sat down, tail whipping back and forth, and he nodded at Alasdair. " _Is that a map? Which way are you headed, exactly?"_

Wyvermon shot the boy a warning look, but Alasdair shrugged, and turned the papyrus around so the little chupacabra could see. He looked forwards, his impossibly pale eyes scanning the route. Alasdair helped with a finger. "We're going around the road towards the pillars, then over to the keep."

 _"You're going the wrong way."_

Alasdair blinked, and glared over at Jiminymon. "We'd bloody well better not be!"

The cricket squeaked with indignation, _"_ I'll have you know I am an official administrator and public aide to Dallurmon!"

 _"A public aide who seems to be taking them in the wrong direction."_

"Shut up!" Jiminymon planted her foot repeatedly on the unrolled manuscript. "We all looked over this! It's safe, it's easy to follow; what the heck are you even talking about?"

 _"How long will it take?"_

"A few days."

 _"How long is a few days?"_

Jiminymon quietened down, studying the map intently. "I...uh...it's only..."

 _"If you're going all the way around the ridge you're looking at twenty. Minimum. And out in the open where Digimon like me will come and pick you off."_

Lizzie glared aside at Jiminymon, who sat down, looking the other way. "Fair point, but it's the _official_ way."

Alasdair was still unconvinced though. "And you have a better way?"

 _"If you don't mind getting a little wet,"_ shrugged Chupamon. He reached forward, and drew a faint indent from the point where they were right through the ridge. " _It's quick, and it's covered. You'll get to the other side in maybe two days."_

"Through the canyon..." Alasdair looked behind him, at the sharp, rough-edged rocks that were poking over the edge of the horizon. He rubbed his chin, his face getting grimmer. "I don't think so."

Joel looked up at him. "Why not? It's shorter. We wanna get home, don't we?"

"And risk damaging the D-Port? Or any of us?" Alasdair looked down at the little demon, who simply sat, whipping his tail back and forth. "Not that I don't trust you or anything, but over the past two days we've met three Nightmare Soldiers and two of them have tried to kill us."

Chupamon rolled his eyes. " _Suit yourself. But I'm not joining you if you're going to waste your own time."_

Lizzie gave a sarcastic smile. "I think that suits everyone."

The group disbanded, leaving Chupamon sitting alone in the road. Alasdair clapped his hands, and called out. "We're heading off. Yvonne, can you take a turn with the D-Port?"

The girl gave a thumbs-up, and soon enough they were all headed on their way, with Joel and Lucy trudging at the rear. Yvonne was handling the device slightly better than George had, and she walked up front, smiling at Alasdair all the way. "So, no Chupamon then?"

"Seems not. Maybe it's for the best."

Yvonne shrugged her shoulders, pulling the device up. "I don't know. His heart seemed to be in the right place. I guess...I feel bad about just leaving him."

Arimon looked up beside her. "Whether he's a good guy or not, he knows his way around. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Still..."

"I couldn't care less, honestly." Wyvermon stuck his nose in the air, and sniffed. "He's a ruffian. A traitor to my lineage."

Arimon gave his friend an incredulous look. "That's not exactly his fault, you know. And you're not even related to him."

"Well he must have done something wrong at somepoint."

"You're an idiot."

"Good grief..." Alasdair rubbed the side of his face, running his fingers through his hair. "How the heck are we going to get everyone home in one piece if everyone's constantly at everyone else's throats?"

Yvonne sidled up to him, and nudged him. "We just need a strong leader to get us through all this."

"Don't look at me. I am not a leader." Alasdair sighed, and glanced back. "Maybe we should find him. Maybe it's-"

He stopped, and his eyes widened. Everyone stopped behind him, looking amongst each other. Alasdair raised a finger, counting in the air.

"Why are we missing two people?"

* * *

Chupamon had expected to be on his way, winding slowly down the way towards the ridge. He sat, staring up at the sky, as he listened to footsteps coming up behind him. The demon shuffled round, and glanced up at his two pursuers.

 _"Didn't you decide to go the other way?"_

Lucy shrugged, whereas Joel thrust his hands into his pockets. "I'm not going that way. That way's stupid."

 _"I can't argue there."_

"Why are you going? You said you liked us."

 _"I said I'm interested in you. Doesn't mean I like you."_ Chupamon turned on his heels, sashaying off. " _Your team's probably waiting."_

Lucy looked back, but Joel started off after the little demon, trudging along in the dust. "I wanna see where you're going."

 _"I won't stop you. But I won't take responsibility for you running off with a monster."_

Joel humphed, and looked up at Lucy, who was walking daintily along. She pulled her finger from her mouth, and mouthed a couple of words, before speaking. "You're not a monster."

" _We're all monsters here."_ Chupamon raised a claw. _"Digimon. Digital monsters. We're all different but we all know that much."_

Joel raised an eyebrow. "So why don't they like you? Fangmon's scarier than you."

The chupacabra stopped, and looked up at the two humans. " _Some of my...kind...did some very bad things. Some of them still do. Everyone else finds it easier if they can blame all of us rather than just the ones who do wrong."_

"That's not fair."

" _I guess it's just how the world goes these days."_ The demon shrugged, and trotted onwards, his back flexing as he did so. " _It's not awful. I don't talk to many people but at the same time they don't talk to me. In fact it's wonderful."_

Lucy walked forwards a little, striding along next to Chupamon. "Isn't there something someone can do?"

" _If they wanted."_ Chupamon looked up, puzzled by the question. _"You mean Dallurmon? He won't bother."_

Joel tilted his head. "Isn't he supposed to be the king or something?"

" _Lord Dallurmon is only a ruler to those who'll accept him."_ He sniffed. _"Everyone else loves him. I don't. Ergo, I don't count."_

The little beast shut up and wouldn't answer any more of Joel's probing questions, so the three of them just carried on down the path in silence. Presently, Chupamon stopped, and pointed ahead. " _That's the way you should be taking."_

The two children looked ahead. The ridge was very close now; tall, jagged spikes of sandstone, with twisted metal poking in and out of the top, like a spider's web or a half-finished roof. The rocks themselves were embedded with undulating pathways leading up, down; every which way imaginable. It seemed accessible, and even welcoming. If not for one small, but rather crucial, detail.

Lucy looked back and forth. "There's a river in the way."

" _I did say you'd get wet."_ Chupamon pointed to his left. " _There's a bridge there. Or you can swim. But it gets you into the canyon, and you can get through the canyon in a few hours. You'll come out on the pillars, and then it's just a short hop to Dallurmon's keep."_ The devil shrugged. " _People I knew would use this way all the time."_

Curious, Joel wandered over to the bridge. It was an arch of rock, reaching over the entire body of water, and there were similar ones further up and down stream. It didn't look particularly fragile, but it was narrow at points, and the speeding currents would occasionally splash against it, leaving a liquid sheen on the top.

The little boy sat down, and placed his chin in his hands. "Maybe we could all get across. It would be great if we could."

Chupamon shrugged. " _It's your call."_

Joel looked up at Lucy, who was as unreadable as ever. She was looking down at the rushing currents; deceptively calm on the surface, but fast and lethal beneath.

Joel stood up. "I don't know. I...I wanna ask Alasdair...or someone."

"There you are!"

All three of them turned around, to see the boy in question rushing along the path towards them, with Arimon and Yvonne rushing along behind them. Joel stood up, and walked forwards, holding up his hand.

"We found the other way. We thought-"

He didn't get to finish, as Alasdair caught up with him and grabbed him by the wrist, wrenching him back.

 _"What the HELL are you doing here?"_

"Ali!"

"OW!"

Joel batted at Alasdair's wrist, but the boy wouldn't let go. The older boy turned to Lucy instead, glaring at her with vicious eyes. "You've got to stop doing this! BOTH of you! You think this is a game?"

Yvonne pulled at the boy's shoulder, looking him in the eye. "Ali, let go! Now!"

Alasdair looked down at Joel, and pulled his hand away, still glaring. "I don't believe this. I don't believe you."

Joel ground his teeth. "I was gonna come to you. I was gonna show you-"

"Show me what?" Alasdair looked up at the river, and the rushing currents beneath. "This? This is your other path?"

Wyvermon sniffed beside him, looking down his nose at Chupamon, who sat silent. "I knew you were trouble."

"Shut up, you stupid lizard!" Joel stepped forwards, clenching his fists. "He didn't do anything. We followed him. Why do you hate him so much?"

Wyvermon flinched at the lizard comment, but Arimon pulled him back before he could make a move. The sheep was looking between everyone, the nerves clearly showing. "You wouldn't understand-"

"EVERYONE says that!" Joel folded his arms. "Everyone thinks I don't count. Everyone thinks I'm a kid."

Alasdair took a step forwards, his hand opening and closing. "You are a kid."

"I'm not! So are you!"

"I'm older than you."

"You're not better than me! I hate you!"

"Quiet!"

 _SLAP_

The others flinched, and Yvonne grabbed Alasdair's hand, pulling it away. Joel's own hand went to his cheek, which was already going red.

"Listen to me, for god's-"

"AAAARGH!" Joel rushed forwards and tackled the older boy to the ground, his tiny arms thrashing forward as he threw punch after punch. Arimon, George and Yvonne rushed in, and they pulled the screaming kid away, holding him up as he thrashed around and tried to kick back. Alasdair sat up, holding his smarting shoulder and glaring upwards. Joel's tantrum was waning now, giving way to tears, although he kept screaming.

"I hate you! I hate you I hate you-"

" _Do you want to die?_ "

The boy was stunned into silence, and he watched as Alasdair picked himself up, and stared down at the other boy. "I've had enough from you, you little brat. You don't listen. You never listen; not for as long as I've known you. That's why nobody wants to listen to you. If we did, we'd all die here." He narrowed his eyes, his voice taking on a menacing edge. "I didn't even want to bring you with us back then. You weren't supposed to _be_ here. But while you are, you listen to me."

He turned. "I'm getting us all home. Don't get in my way."

He strode away. George and Arimon felt Joel go limp in their arms, as he fell to his knees, staring down at the ground.

Yvonne let go and rushed forwards, standing in front of Alasdair. "What the hell was that?"

"You saw. He started it."

"No, I mean after. What the hell was that?"

"Yvonne, don't start-"

He tried to walk past her, but she stood in front of him, her hands on her hips. "Ali, he's _six_."

"And? If he doesn't stop acting like this, we'll all be in trouble."

"So what? You're just going to yell him into submission?"

Alasdair looked up at Yvonne, and his eyes were darkened. "I'm not risking anything anymore. If it gets us all home safely, I'll happily be the bad guy."

He turned round, and looked at the assembled throng. "What are you all waiting for? We've wasted enough time."

"...go on without me..."

Alasdair looked back down at Joel, who was getting to his feet, his arms shaking as he did so. "You're coming up front where I can-"

" _SHUT UP! You don't care about me!"_ Joel turned, and ran, sprinting towards the rock bridge. " _"I'll find my own way home!"_

"JOEL, COME BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!"

Everyone was caught off guard; only Arimon was running, but the boy had a headstart, and in seconds he was already making his way over the bridge, keeping his balance admirably as he skipped over the rock. Arimon went after him, with the others congregating at the base. Yvonne reached out with a foot, but the bridge let out a groan, causing her to turn back. "It won't cope."

Alasdair cupped his hands, " _GET BACK HERE!"_

Ahead on the bridge, Arimon gritted his teeth. "Please, kid...don't do this."

"Leave me alone!"

"Seriously, they don't...no-one meant-"

The sheep's ears twitched, and he looked upstream to his right. He sniffed the air, and went pale. "What the hell is that...?"

Joel had reached the halfway point now, but he'd stopped, crouching down and clinging to a narrow part of the rock. He could see the other side, but it was hazier now. The rock was slippery even up here, and the winds rushed down the flooded ravine, making him feel very exposed. Yet rage and stubbornness pressed him on, making him oblivious to the voices calling out behind him.

And blind to the approaching danger.

Arimon stood up and tried to run forwards, but the rock shook beneath his feet, and he fell forwards, holding on for dear life.

" _FOR GOD'S SAKE, RUN!"_

Something in Joel's mind snapped back into focus. He looked back, and saw the people on the shoreline. Some were still calling him back. Others were just yelling. Run. Get out of the way.

He became aware of the waters below. The river was looking far less calm; in fact, it seemed to have risen. There were large, worrying swells, and the sides of the river were foaming. And upstream...it was getting worse.

The boy stood up, turned on his heels, and ran back towards the shore, his shoes slipping against the rock but giving him just enough grip to move.

A swell approached, like a mountain of water.

The people on the shore saw a great black shape, bearing down on the bridge. The top of the shape broke the water, revealing a sharp, streamlined nose, which opened up into a mighty jaw filled with triangular teeth.

The wave crashed, engulfing the rocky arch. There was the sound of cracking, and the children looked away.

Then they turned back.

Arimon was still there, clinging to a spike of rock and shaking.

The bridge was gone.

And so was Joel.

* * *

 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	5. Episode 5: Rough Waters

_**Digimon Inferno: Playing with Matches**_

 _ **Episode 5: Rough Waters**_

* * *

A bird rushed down the corridor of the keep, her metal claws clacking against the stone floor. She turned a corner, keeping her balance with a wide gait, and nimble, yet powerful legs. She swept her long neck from side to side, her beady eyes on the lookout for one – any – of her subordinates.

She eventually found one; an Anomalocarimon, hanging upside down in the assistants' quarters, fast asleep. The bird Digimon stopped in the entrance, and banged harshly on the doorway, causing the giant bug to unravel and crash to the ground. He looked up, dazed. "Whazzat?"

"A request. You're needed, scout."

"Five more minutes..."

Another bang, and the scorpion rolled over. He blinked, and finally saw the Digimon in front of him, staring down with a maliciously narrowed eye. He shuffled back slightly, and quavered, "I'm very sorry, Phorusrhamon, ma'am. I'm listening."

Phorusrhamon allowed herself a little moment to bask in her own power. It wasn't much, and neither was it helpful, but gosh darn if it wasn't satisfying to be grovelled to. She waited for a moment, before the more rational side of her brain took over.

"We need to gather a platoon of Searchmon. And a few others. Specialists." She reached into her plumage and dropped a short list in front of the bug, which he picked up, and scoured through. He reached up with a claw, and scratched beneath one of his eye stalks.

"This seems excessive. Is there a war on, ma'am?"

"Thankfully not. But it is important. Lord Dallurmon himself requested it."

"What, now?" The scorpion turned, tapping the top of the list. "It's difficult. We can spare him, but that's about it, at least for the next day or so. And I don't know how helpful he's gonna be."

Phorusrhamon peered down. "He's good though, isn't he? Very clean, and very efficient."

"Yeah. On paper." The bug made a worried creaking sound. "He's...volatile."

Phorusrhamon rubbed her beak together. "It might have to do. But Lord Dallurmon was awfully insistent."

"Oh, of course. If Dallurmon requires it, we can sort it. Just not instantly." Anomalocarimon looked up, slightly puzzled. "I wonder what he's seen...in that pool of visions, I mean..."

"Just get on it, will you?" Phorusrhamon turned, her toes clicking against the stone. "I don't want to let him down."

"Yes ma'am. It shall be done."

The bird was already gone, marching back down the corridor and mumbling under her breath. She stopped, and glanced back, looking down the corridor at the depths of the keep.

"It's probably nothing. Just a reconnaissance. Or a rogue Nightmare Soldier."

Still, as she kept walking, she felt distinctly more nervous. There was an odd feeling in her gut that just wouldn't budge. Her lord never told her much, but he was always relatively transparent with his commands. And far less agitated than he'd been this most recent time she'd seen him.

"Maybe I should go as well? Just to make sure..."

Sure of what? What was so important?

She shook her head, and carried on down the corridor, not even looking back.

* * *

They'd searched down the river for Joel. Wyvermon and Chupamon had jumped into the shallows, scouring every nook and cranny. Mynahmon had flown over to the other side, but all with no luck.

Exhausted, and emotionally immobilised, they remained where they were. Alasdair had said nothing; he simply sat away from the others, not responding to anything. Nobody approached him, not even Yvonne.

Chupamon had been all but forgotten for the most part. He sat on his own, scouring the ground with his claw, when he became aware of a Digimon in front of him. He looked up, and into Wyvermon's cold eyes.

"I hope you're happy."

Chupamon didn't respond; he simply looked back down, drawing a lazy line in the dust. Wyvermon shoved forwards, and held a paw on the demon's chest. "This wouldn't have happened if it hadn't been for you!"

 _"Does it make you pleased with yourself?"_

"What?"

 _"Pretending you're in the right all the time."_

Wyvermon pulled his paw back, and narrowed his eyes. "You know I'm right."

 _"Possibly."_ Chupamon sat back, and his eyes seemed glazed over. " _Why are you angry though? You know I'm a horrific monster."_

Wyvermon bit his lip. "I thought...you were-"

 _"Different?"_ Chupamon laughed, but the noise was bitter and bestial. " _You beat me. Blamed me. You made me know I was lesser, and vile, and wretched. Every time you saw me. But now because I made a mistake, you suddenly feel I've betrayed you?"_

The dragon was shocked into silence, as Chupamon stood up, brushing the dust from his knees. He leant forwards onto his knuckles, and peered over Wyvermon's shoulders.

" _Your friend could use you."_ The chupacabra smiled, and patted Wyvermon on the back as he walked past. " _Everyone's blaming themselves enough. Even me. And you. Maybe you could do to be with them rather than just adding to the blame."_

As he walked away, Wyvermon turned, glancing over his shoulder. "Hey..."

Chupamon stopped, but didn't turn around. Wyvermon did, facing the devil's back.

But he just shook his head, and walked away himself.

* * *

Further down by the river, Yvonne sat down beside a crying Lizzie. She said nothing, just staring out over the water, and gently putting her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Don't touch me."

Yvonne drew her hand back like she'd been stung, and turned away. "I'm sorry..."

"What are we doing here?"

The other girl looked up to see Lizzie staring directly at her, the girl's glasses misted up and the undersides of her eyes red with tears. "We're going to die here, aren't we? One by one, we're all going to be picked off. We're all going to...to..."

Yvonne forced a weak smile. "We'll find him-"

"He's dead, Yvonne!"

"Don't say that!"

"I can't take this." Lizzie bunched herself up tightly, and stared out across the water. "I can't take you. Not now."

"Lizzie..."

"Please." Lizzie looked up again, but she was struggling to meet the other girls' gaze. "I know it's not your fault. It's never been your fault. But you've always pulled me into trouble like this. I've always been scared; why do you do it to me?" The girl sat up. "Do you hate me or something?"

Yvonne sat still, her expression oddly blank as her hair fluttered in the wind. "Lizzie...you know I don't. You less than anyone. I just...things have gotten crazy..." She shuffled around, sitting up on her knees. "I didn't think this would happen, that we'd come here. If I'd known...you know I wouldn't have brought you here. I'd never do anything to hurt you."

Lizzie pulled off her glasses, and wiped her eyes. "No. You wouldn't. On purpose. But you always do nonetheless." She stood up, her hair blowing in the riverside breeze as she stared down at her oldest friend.

"I've had enough. With you. When...if...we ever get home, never talk to me again."

She walked away before Yvonne could stop her, not looking back. Yvonne sat, stunned. She slumped back, and her hands went to her eyes.

"That was well handled."

The girl looked back, and saw Arimon beside her, sitting alone as if in a daze. The sheep had clearly been crying. His dagger lying beside him, as was his helmet. He rubbed his eyes, and smiled.

"What must you all be going through..."

Yvonne sighed, and shuffled up closer. "What are you moping for? You were trying to save him."

"Trying's not good enough." Arimon looked down. "I wanted to be a hero. That's why I came with you. I wanted to be a knight and protect this land. But the more I travel, the more I can see that I can't."

Yvonne opened her mouth, but she couldn't think of anything to say. She turned back, and huddled up closer. "I think you're pretty brave." She exhaled. "But what do I know? Everything I do just gets us into more trouble. I'm pretty sure half of us wouldn't have been stuck here if I wasn't dragging everyone along." She looked down. "It feels like an adventure. Like we're supposed to save the world or do something. But it's not like that...not really." Her hand went to her goggles, and she ran her fingers around the rim. "I wanted to save the world. Somebody I loved did it for me. I wanted to return the favour."

She looked down the river, at the currents whipping back and forth. "Maybe...just maybe...he's still out there."

"He was a tough little tyke."

"He is..." Yvonne clenched her fists. "He has to be...just over there...on the...horizon..."

* * *

"Alasdair!"

The boy snapped out of his trance, and stood up, looking at the group before him. There was a cough by his feet, and he looked down to see Jiminymon and Neonamon, looking solemn. Jiminymon pointed at her backpack. "We can still get to where we're meant to before it gets dark."

"No. We're carrying on looking."

"Alasdair, please..." Jiminymon looked away. "Whatever that was, it was far beyond our control."

"Maybe. But it's because I lost control that this happened." Alasdair shrugged his shoulders, a look of determination on his face. "This is how we do things. We look out for each other where we come from. I don't care how long it takes; I won't give up on him until we know for sure..."

* * *

Joel's first thought as the water hit him was of his imminent bloody death. The world was a mass of white foam, then deep blackness, as something dragged him downwards, something sharp digging into his arm.

His second thought was of his imminent death by drowning, as he had lacked the forethought at the time of his submersion to take a deep breath.

His third thought hadn't occurred due to a nasty knock against the base of the flooded canyon, which had sent him into rapid unconsciousness.

When he'd awoke, the three thoughts were still running around his head, although much like the aftermath of a dream, they were beginning to slot into place. The fact that he was here and very much not dead meant that the first and second thought were becoming less likely possibilities.

Then the second one returned as he realised he was still very much underwater. He screamed, and did his best to hold his breath, only to realise that he was able to breathe just fine. The second thought grabbed its newfound friend rational logic and dove screaming into the deep recesses of his brain, leaving the majority of it finally clear for him to look around his surroundings.

He was in an underwater cavern of some kind. Actually, less of a cavern than a sideways alcove, dug out of the side of the canyon wall. It was relatively light, and for some unknown reason he was able to see clearly, the water not even stinging his eyes. It was still icy cold though, although the currents from outside were occasionally rolling inside, providing some warmth.

What was less friendly was the large black shape that constantly swam past, back and forth, like a dolphin circling its prey. Joel tried to peer out for a better look, then immediately backed up as it swum very close, revealing a large, teal eye, followed by an icy-blue serpentine body. It twisted, its agility phenomenal, and promptly rammed the alcove, causing the whole wall to shudder. Joel closed his eyes, waiting for the killing blow, but although he was knocked around heavily it never came.

"She can't get inside."

Joel turned around, and saw something curled up further inside the shallow pit. It was a large fish of some kind, although like no kind he'd ever seen before. Its body was long, and studded over the back with bony plates and a smooth spine. Where its front fins were supposed to be were two long columns of brown bone, with spikes at the elbow. The head was partially helmeted with more bone, and the eyes were sweeping, the irises glowing bright gold in the dim light. The fish waved a half-hearted webbed hand.

"Just stay away from the edge. She'll torpedo us eventually but she's dumb. It'll take her a while to figure it out."

Joel looked behind him. "That's a she?"

"Tylomon." The fish unravelled herself, and stretched out, supporting her body on her two column-like arms. "She got stuck in the river a while ago so she's angry. She's been chasing me a long time."

"Why?"

"Because I keep annoying her."

Joel looked back, and blinked. "Why? And who are you anyway?"

The fish yawned, showing two rows of rough bone where her teeth should have been. "I'm Placomon. And to be really fair, she did eat both my friends last week."

"Oh." Joel crossed his legs. "Sorry."

"It might have been last month..." Placomon didn't seem to be too torn up about the incident; honestly, she seemed half-awake, her head swinging from side to side. "Anyway, I annoy her whenever I can. She was gonna eat you. I pulled you in here. Although she probably still might eat you since you don't look like you can get out of here." The fish turned her head to one side. "What are you doing in here? And what are you, anyway? You don't smell like a Digimon."

"I'm not. I'm a boy." Joel crossed his legs, and stared at the rock wall. "I was trying to get home."

There was another bang as Tylomon bashed her helmeted head against the alcove, before swimming along, still letting off a growl. Joel was feeling the oppression and the constant threat getting to him, but he swallowed his fear.

"Do you live underwater?"

Joel shook his head. "I was trying to get over the river. I just fell in."

"That was stupid of you."

"I am stupid." Joel looked up. If there were tears in his eyes, they were lost in the murky blue that surrounded him. He shivered. "There are six other kids. We're all trying to get home, but I was being annoying." His eyelids drooped. "Everyone calls me a brat. I get mad and do stupid things."

"Anger's no good." Placomon put her arms behind her head, swinging her tail lazily. "You've just got to take things as they come."

"It's alright for you. You haven't got things trying to kill you."

"No. Only one stupid monster." Placomon smiled. "So I'll deal with her, eventually, and then we'll see." The fish nodded. "So what do you want to do first?"

Joel thought. "I wanna get out of here. I wanna go home." He peered out, then pulled his head in as Tylomon swam past again. "I want us all to go home. But maybe they could go home without me."

"Mm-hmm."

"I could live here." Joel looked up at the closed-in rock ceiling. "Not many people would miss me."

"Mmm."

Joel got the distinct sense that Placomon was only half-listening, so he stopped talking. He just stared, occasionally peering out at the monster still curving around outside. He sniffed. "Please. I just wanna go home."

"Then go."

Placomon unfurled herself, and yawned again. "Don't worry about anyone else. You can get home. Eventually." She shrugged. "Just work towards something big and stupid and you'll get there eventually."

Joel looked beside him. "Do you really want to take down Tylomon?"

"Of course. I hate her." Placomon waved her tail. "I'm just patient, I guess. But there's nothing I can do. Look at me."

Joel's eyes flicked upwards, just briefly. "Maybe...maybe there's something I can do."

"Maybe. Don't push your limits though." Placomon leant back. "It's not worth it."

"If I help you, you could help me."

"And if you die, you can't."

Joel pouted. "Are you always like this?"

"Like what?"

"Annoying."

Placomon popped her lips, blowing a bubble. "Everyone used to say I was annoying. Didn't stop me though." She smiled. "You can't let that stop you."

"Placomon..."

"Huh?"

"Tylomon's gone."

He poked his head out, and looked back and forth. There was a distant banging sound, as if the monster was after something further down the river. Placomon joined him, swimming a little further out. "Huh. Maybe she got bored with me." She looked up. "You could get up to the rocks now, maybe. Can you swim?"

"Sort of. Not really."

Placomon helped him, holding onto his arm as she pulled him upwards. They surfaced amongst the rubble, and Joel sat down, taking deep breaths even though he didn't really feel like he needed to. Tylomon was still nowhere in sight, but Joel's heart sank as he looked up the canyon walls. They were steep and wet; a perilous climb at worst and a difficult one at best. He looked at his arms, which were looking decidedly stringy at the moment.

The boy looked up, and saw Placomon's fin moving away. He called out. "Hey."

The fish surfaced, her skin glistening. "Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"Are you okay?"

"Sure."

For the first time, Joel could get a good look at the fish's face. She was looking away. Constantly pulling faces. Not meeting his eyes.

"You're mad, aren't you..."

"Mad?"

"At Tylomon." Joel sat forwards. "You really want to get her."

Placomon raised her arms. "What can I do? Look at me. I'm a lazy, entitled wreck."

"That doesn't matter." Joel smiled wickedly. "Maybe I can help you."

"How?"

Joel stood up, and looked down the canyon. "You've gotta get angry..."

* * *

The sudden splash caught everyone's attention as the waves climbed up the rocks, striking them all. Alasdair looked down, and saw Yvonne and Arimon running back up, waving their arms. "It's back!"

"Joel!?"

"No..." Yvonne ran faster, as the waves crashed up behind her, revealing a deep blue fin and a spear-like tail. It disappeared again, but the silhouette was still there, gliding through the water. The girl reached Alasdair, turning on her heels and pointing. "That's what took him. I'm sure of it."

The children and the Digimon ran back, away from the water's edge. There was a deep, melancholic moan, and the ripples broke briefly, as a metallic fin pierced the water's surface. The creature arced around, watching their every move.

Jiminymon shivered, and nudged Alasdair's leg. "Let's get away from here. This river's lethal."

But the boy didn't move. He clenched his fists, muttering under his breath.

"I've had enough of this world."

He marched forwards, as Yvonne turned after him. "Ali?"

The boy stood, a few metres from the shore, and brought his hands to his mouth.

" _You! Monster! What have you done with our friend?"_

His voice was booming. Commanding, even. The ripples stopped across the surface, as the beast, whatever it was, lay still. It seemed confused. So did the rest of the group. Lizzie backed further away, and Jiminymon went to step forward. "Don't provoke-"

She stopped, as Neonamon nudged her on the back. "Let's see what happens."

Alasdair was unmoved. He shouted out again. " _I know you can hear me! I know you can understand. If you don't bring him back, I swear, I'm coming for you."_

George blinked, and whispered aside at Rachel. "Is he...picking a fight?"

The low roar from the river indicated the intention of the beast. The waters foamed, as the great silhouette began to shudder. All of a sudden there was a bang as the creature slammed into the shoreline, causing great cracks in the rock. Rachel yelped, and the group shimmied a few metres further away. All except Alasdair. He turned and marched towards George, who found himself standing straight.

"Yes, er...what? What do you want?"

Alasdair pointed. "The D-Port. Put it down."

George did so, but his expression was one of concern. "Are you sure this is wise?"

"I need to save somebody. If we keep running away, we're going to end up picked off one by one." His gaze was firm; steely, and highly dangerous. "If I'm going to get Joel back it's up to me to take the initiative."

"You're going in alone?"

"That's the thing. We're not alone." Alasdair looked behind him, to where Wyvermon was standing up, a new look on his face. Not pride. Not uppity. It was the look of somebody about to do something very stupid, and going in head-first.

Rachel leaned down, flicking a few of the switches as the device whirred into life. There was another bang, and a chunk of rock fell from the riverside, sending up waves as it did so. Rachel peered up at Alasdair. "I don't know if this is going to work again."

"We'll be fine." Wyvermon stood beside the boy, a small grin on his face. "We're going to rescue your friend."

Alasdair looked down. "Together?"

"Why not?"

For a brief moment Rachel stared up at the boy and the dragon. They looked so right together. The bond between them was strong, trusting and complete. Jiminymon was busy yelling obscenities and cautions and what-the-hell-do-you-think-you're-doings from the sidelines, but they seemed so distant at the moment. Nothing could wreck this bond. Nothing could come close.

Rachel nodded. "Go."

She slammed her hand on the red button, and the device burst into life. The energy tornado spun out, a bright red once again. This time there was no hesitation; Alasdair reached out and grabbed it before it even had a chance to find him. It was different this time; the energy swirled around his hand, slowly unravelling it rather than pulling him instantly inside. He and Wyvermon turned and ran towards the shoreline, where the beast was waiting; its roar ever-present.

The group watched in shock. Some of them yelled to turn back, although they knew it was already too late.

Yvonne raised her hands to her mouth, a smile widening on her face. "GO ALI! BRING HIM BACK!"

Alasdair's body evaporated mid-step, and the energy rushed alongside Wyvermon, as he braced himself and leapt from the crumbling riverside into the raging waters below.

"Wyvermon, Soul Interlock!"

"Evolution Activate!"

The dragon's body glowed red as the energy engulfed him, already bursting through the skin as he entered the white waters below. Yvonne rushed to the edge, followed by Lucy, George and Arimon, then the rest, as she watched one dark silhouette beneath the water's surface become two, and the two beginning to twist and dance, already circling one another.

Then one of the broke the surface. Mane spraying water, horns glistening, wings spread wide and teeth bared, the dragon reared up, ready for battle.

" **Serpent Scourge!** "

The waves whipped left and right as Fafnirmon spun forwards like a corkscrew, slamming into Tylomon's huge form. The pliosaur responded in turn, twisting around and dragging her sharpened fins down the dragon's flank. Fafnirmon reared up, and Tylomon turned and sunk her teeth into the great dragon's wing.

"I don't think so!"

Fafnirmon twisted again, and the water suddenly flashed red. But he was free, and he circled back around, slashing at Tylomon's back.

As the two titans clashed, the rest of the group looked onwards from the shore, shouting out advice where they could. Fafnirmon was certainly agile, and provably strong, but he was not in his element and it was showing. Rachel crouched down, her hand atop the D-Port as it churned, data moving back and forth within it. She stared at the screen, flinching as the two monsters crashed into the cliff yet again.

Marsuamon stood next to her, clenching her fists. "I can't swim," she offered helpfully."

"Me neither." Rachel looked out, further down the river. "Please...don't tell me this is how it ends..."

Fafnirmon roared and pounced Tylomon, pressing them down into the raging currents below, his mane streaming out behind him as he powered the pliosaur down.

"Where is Joel? What have you done with him?"

The titan's mouth convulsed, in a manner almost as if she was laughing. She pulled back, causing Fafnirmon to crash into the riverbed, and look up to see her circling above. She had the high-ground, and it was enough. Tylomon growled, and twisted her body, aiming it straight down.

" _ **Torpedo Attack!**_ _"_

Fafnirmon tried to scramble out the way, but he was in deep trouble from the moment she fired. The elongated projectile sunk into the riverbed, just missing them, but then it exploded, and the force of the blast sent Fafnirmon careening up towards the rocks. He slammed into them, his body bending backwards and lying draped half in the water, and half out. Tylomon wasn't finished with him yet though; her jaws clamped over his tail, and she flung him over her shoulder. He crashed into the opposite shore, and sunk further in, his movements far slowed.

"ALI!"

Yvonne took a step but George held her hand, shaking his head. "You can't do anything here!"

"He's going to die! We're going to lose everyone at this rate!"

"No, but..." George pulled back, staring as Tylomon toyed with the exhausted Fafnirmon like an orca toys with a seal. "What can we do if we're not strong enough, even when we evolve? How can we possibly win?"

As if in response, the D-Port burst into life once again, shaking on the ground. Rachel held her hand out, expectantly, but it didn't call to her this time. The swirling colours were different once again; bright white and yellow, moving like fluid. Rachel's eyes widened, and she looked back upstream once again.

"It couldn't be..."

"It's him!"

The voice came from Mynahmon, who was flying just over the edge, pointing with both feet as best she could. She yelped as Tylomon flung Fafnirmon towards her, but she quickly rejoined the group, babbling as usual.

"It's him! The boy! He's there, I saw him, and he's coming towards us and he's brought...a...fish?"

Something stirred in Fafnirmon's fatigued form. He watched as the group ran down the shore, yelling at the boy who rode atop something small, straight towards the battle.

"I knew...you would come back..." He chuckled. "Little...brat..."

Joel held tightly onto Placomon's sturdy arms as she dragged him through the water, avoiding the worst of the ripples and circling around. Already Tylomon had noticed her, and she was mad as all heck. The monster's twin fins cut through the water, nearly slicing Joel's legs off, but Placomon was agile despite her temperament, and she quickly turned back around, opening her mouth as she faced the huge beast.

" **Depth Charge!** "

She fired; three pellets of pressurised water that slammed into Tylomon's flank, strong enough to put her off her stroke but not much more. Pretty soon, the pliosaur was bearing down on them once again. Placomon's head rose above the water's surface as she swam for dear life. "I hope you do have a proper plan."

Joel looked up at the cliff side, where he could just about see the others, now cheering him on as well as Fafnirmon, who had climbed up onto the rocks for rest. Joel could see Rachel, and beside her, the D-Port, which seemed to stare down at him in judgement.

"So do I..."

Joel reached out his hand to the sky as Tylomon's huge form bore down on the both of them.

"I want to fight too! Please!"

The D-Port answered, the stream of data bursting forth. It was less twisted this time, instead flowing like a river of light, which spilled over the edge and twisted through the waves straight towards Joel. He gritted his teeth, and reached out, ready to grasp it with his palm.

The white river coarsed through him in an instant, and his data fell away, caught up in the currents. Placomon's eyes widened, and she spun around, watching as the trail shot up into the sky. Tylomon was still approaching, and she was knocked aside, spinning around underwater.

"We have a plan...we have a plan..."

She opened her eyes, and saw Tylomon's open jaws, another torpedo brewing in her throat. Placomon raised her arms, holding them up in front of her.

"Get angry..."

The white stream struck the river, and shot downwards, straight into her back and coursing through every fibre of her body. One second later, Tylomon's torpedo struck her arms, blasting her body into the riverbed as it already began to glow.

* * *

 _"Get out of here! Stupid kid!"_

 _Placomon watched as the boy was thrown down again and again, and yet every time, he stood back up. Even when the kids disappeared, and the adults came forth, he wouldn't back down. He wouldn't let them break him._

 _Joel was sat beside her, glaring at the scene before him. He didn't say anything, but his face told many stories. The plasters on his face and arms added their own little bits to the tale. The scene changed; a boy and his mother. Yelling. Shouting. Doors slamming._

 _Then Alasdair was there. And Yvonne. And Rachel, and Lucy, and even George and Lizzie. No longer jeering, or ignoring. Alasdair held out a hand, and the boy hesitantly reached out and took it._

 _Joel began to laugh. "I always got angry. All the time. I never knew why; it just felt right."_

 _"Do you know now?"_

 _Joel leaned back, and looked over at her. "Yeah. A bit."_

 _His hand went to his cheek._

 _"Sometimes you need to get angry, so you can stand with the people that make you happy."_

 _Placomon nodded. "Do you wanna get angry?"_

 _"Let's do it."_

* * *

"Placomon, Soul Interlock!"

Tylomon swerved, hovering in the centre of the stream as she became aware of a bright yellow light coming from beneath. She backed away, watching as Placomon's body spun upwards, drawing the water into a frenzy.

"Evolution Activate!"

As the fish spun, her outward data flaked off, and to the spectators she became little more than a ball of light, bouncing up and down on the water's surface. Then the ball grew, and grew, and as it did so it slowed, unfurling into something else. Her arms grew longer, and broader, and her tail split into three, two of the branches forming huge legs with the girth of tree trunks. And still she grew, surpassing even Fafnirmon's size.

The yellow energy fell away like water droplets as she flung her head back and forth, roaring as she did so. To the watching children and Digimon, it appeared as if a new monster had just appeared from the depths, for this was no longer the chilled-out fish that had been there just moments before. She had a long, rough-skinned tail, and a huge barrel chest. The ends of her arms, hands and tail were adorned with clawed gauntlets, and a spiny armoured breastplate encased her torso, ending with a sharp fin on the back. Muscles rippled beneath her huge limbs, and around her neck and under her chin were draped small, fleshy fins, which flicked back and forth. A great helmet curved over her muzzle, and beneath that was a strong jaw filled with triangular teeth, and bright orange eyes that stared forwards with perpetual rage. She was a sea monster to rival Tylomon herself. The beast had been awakened, and she was utterly furious.

"Osteomon!"

The giant trod water as Tylomon circled her, both of them baring their teeth. Tylomon ducked down, and re-emerged the other side, but Osteomon was already watching her every move.

There was a scrabbling, and Yvonne and Jiminymon backed up as Fafnirmon pulled himself back over the ridge, collapsing at the top in the centre of all the others. The D-Port gave a rather rude buzzing sound, and suddenly Fafnirmon was gone, leaving Alasdair and Wyvermon stretched out on the cliff. Yvonne rushed over to him, kneeling down beside him. He gave a weak smile. "That could have gone better."

"You were right though." Yvonne stood tall, and grinned. "Joel won't go down so easily."

"Of course he wouldn't. He's a kid. They're indestructible."

" _ **Tilt Anchor!**_ _"_

Tylomon swerved round, and her sharp tail rolled towards Osteomon, ready to impale her in the stomach. But the sea monster ducked down, the tail glancing off her armour, and she rose again with an immense uppercut, cracking Tylomon's snout armour beneath the chin. The pliosaur reeled back, but dove again, circling to build up momentum.

The brawl was now on, and it was brutal. The blows weren't precise; they were great, sweeping attacks between titans. Tylomon's tail wrapped around Osteomon and pulled her over, and she spun around with her huge jaw to take a chunk out of Osteomon's arm. But Osteomon brought her elbow back, knocking Tylomon aside, and landed another crunching blow on the sea dragon's mask, buckling it inwards.

"You took everything from me!" Osteomon roared, as she rose both arms above her head, clasping them together. "You're going to pay!"

She brought the fist down on Tylomon's back with a crack, and the dragon sunk beneath the waves. Osteomon waited, her eyes following the silhouette beneath, before reaching down again and grabbing the monster as she swam past, wrestling her free from the water.

" _ **Torpedo Attack!**_ _"_

Tylomon's maw opened, and she fired, the projectile glancing off Osteomon's helmet and smashing into the rock wall behind. There was a rumble, and it collapsed, sending rubble coursing into the river and throwing both of them off balance.

"Joel!"

Osteomon recovered, and raised her hands just in time as Tylomon leapt down towards her, her jaws aimed for the sea monster's throat. Osteomon raised her hands, and pushed, throwing the pliosaur into the path of the falling rock.

Tylomon was disorientated. Rubble struck her on the flank and head as she stared around, trying to gain her bearings. She didn't notice Osteomon raising her free hand, nor the water swelling behind her.

" **Tidal Pressure!** "

A wave rushed forwards, curling over at the top like a huge blunt claw. Osteomon roared as she brought her hand down, and the wall of water followed suit, folding over and pressing Tylomon, and the falling rubble, into the riverbed. There was a boom as the crushing forces collided and the water was displaced, sending water in every direction, even reaching the top of the cliff and soaking the onlookers.

Then the waters calmed. Osteomon's breaths were heavy as she stared beneath the fallen cliff. The data was already rising from beneath the rock, and a thin trail of red was making its way down the river.

Osteomon looked up, and waved at the sodden spectators. Her rage had disappeared, and, for a nine-foot-tall fish monster, she looked quite amicable all of a sudden.

"Do you want a lift across?"

* * *

Despite many complaints from Jiminymon, they all decided it was the most sensible option, provided they did it quickly. Osteomon ferried them across in small groups, and once on the other side, they moved quickly inland to the relative safety of the canyon ahead. A dazed Joel took a lift on George's back, and Placomon, not used to much land movement, was busy being helped along by Marsuamon and Arimon. Once they were confident enough that they were out of danger, they stopped, for the battle and the journey had soaked all of them through to the skin. The sun was just dipping down over the lip of the red rocks above, casting strange shadows over the sandstone.

Not everybody was so willing to stop, of course. "We might just get lucky. We can probably get at least halfway through the canyon this evening." Jiminymon looked up optimistically. "The sooner we can get you to Dallurmon, the better."

Alasdair looked up. "Really? Tonight? Jiminymon...we're exhausted."

"I think it would be a big waste of time if we just hung around."

The boy glanced around, at the tired children and Digimon around him. He stood up. "We'll do it anyway." He put his hands to his mouth as he turned. "Everyone, we're staying here for the night. We'll tackle the canyon in the morning."

There was a collective sigh of relief, and, slowly, the group went their separate ways. Jiminymon stared up at Alasdair. "You do want to get home, don't you?"

The boy shrugged, as he walked backwards. "I'm not pushing anyone. Not now. Not after that."

The cricket sat down, muttering beneath her breath as she rolled up the map. "Of course nobody listens to me. Why would anyone listen to me? I'm only your _guide_."

George sat down beside her, peering over. "Technically we're off route-"

"Oh, buzz off. I can do without you lot rubbing it in." She trilled in an annoyed fashion. "I suppose it wouldn't do any harm. We're in an open area, and we haven't run into any trouble so far."

George wasn't really listening, merely looking around; at Arimon and Yvonne trying to scale some of the smaller walls; at Lucy, rummaging through the various objects in her handbag, and at Neonamon, who was busy keeping the two youngest children amused by twirling on his body and cracking jokes. He smiled, and turned to the cricket. "Can I ask you something?"

"Fire away."

"You said you work for Dallurmon, didn't you?"

The cricket finished packing away the map, and straightened up, her body taking a prideful posture. "I am a junior ambassador for our lord, yes. Neonamon is below me; he's an advisory intern."

"Aren't you both...well, kids?"

The cricket's posture deflated as soon as it had risen, and she spluttered, "Excuse me? I'm more qualified than you!"

The boy chuckled, and adjusted his glasses. "I'm just curious. It seems like a lot of responsibility."

Jiminymon tilted her head, and her back leg thumped a little. "I suppose you're right. We aren't common, although Dallurmon has a lot of Digimon working for him. He runs the region as a whole, but he obviously can't be everywhere at once." She paused in thought. "Actually he probably could, but it's easier this way." She looked up. "He scouts us out and trains us from a young age if we're suitable. Neonamon's extremely bright for an In-Training level."

George had pulled out his notepad and was jotting things down, clearly interested. "My father runs something...like a region, I suppose? We call it a business. I do get special treatment; he's looking at me to run it one day." He stared up into the sky, squinting a little. "I'd like to meet him. Dallurmon, that is."

Jiminymon laughed. "I'll admit, it's a long time since I've spoken to him in person."

"What's he like?"

"He's amazing. He built this region from the ground up and runs everything like-"

"No, I mean...what's he like? As a person? Or Digimon? Whichever."

Jiminymon sat in thought, her wings buzzing. It took her a little while to answer, and when she did, she didn't sound at all certain.

"He's...experienced a lot. You definitely noticed it. I mean...I wouldn't put anything against him. But if I were to say, it would be that he was always somewhat distant."

"But still fair?"

"Oh, of course." Jiminymon nodded. "He's extremely good at what he does."

"So are you, by the looks of it."

The cricket trilled shyly. "Why thank you."

* * *

Chupamon had found himself a nice rock to curl up beneath, and was currently huddled tightly, grumbling inwardly about the afternoon light. Still, he was able to get about one minute of shut-eye before he became aware of somebody walking up to him. He opened one eye, and saw Wyvermon, looking down at him.

" _Not again..."_

The dragon coughed, and sat down. "I, um, I have a feeling that, you know, I might have..."

 _"Words. Use them right."_

"Right, yes..." The dragon bowed his head, his tail flat on the ground. "I feel like I should apologise for some of the things I might have said."

" _Yes you should."_

"Right. Well, yes, I am. I apologise for...blaming you. For everything. And for calling you a devil. It was wrong of me."

Chupamon blinked, and unfurled himself, facing the dragon head on. _"I accept. And to be perfectly honest, I am a devil, so don't worry about that."_

"I thought you didn't like being called that."

 _"I don't mind. I just didn't want you calling me that."_

"Oh." Wyvermon flicked his tail up. "I take back some of my apologies. You can be rather vexing at times."

 _"Great. We're finally on the same page."_

"I'm not...never mind." Wyvermon exhaled loudly, and looked forwards, at where Lucy was sitting a few yards away. He sat down, smiling a little. "Look at them. So different and yet so similar to us." He looked to the side. "Do you reckon they go through things like this?"

 _"Who? The humans?"_

"Yes." The dragon rubbed beneath his chin. "They come from different worlds, and yet they seem just like us. Like they're Digimon at heart, really."

" _Perhaps. Or perhaps we're human at heart."_

"Either way, we keep making mistakes." The dragon lay down in the sunlight, watching as Lucy stood up, stumbled over her feet, and wandered over to the canyon wall, where Alasdair was sat, catching some shade.

"I wonder how similar our worlds are. Our people are. Do they go through similar problems?"

Chupamon stared ahead, his expression hidden by the mask. _"Pinning their lives on a fool of a leader? Tyrants and maniacs walking around, doing nothing but causing destruction? And those oppressed just because of how they are born?"_ Chupamon shrugged. _"I wouldn't know. But it wouldn't surprise me if every world is really just the same with different players."_

"Indeed. Though I would remind you not to refer to Lord Dallurmon as a fool."

" _Moody figurehead then."_

"Or that. Though it would be nice if he showed himself a little more often." Wyvermon yawned, and as he did so, his ears twitched. He glanced down, and saw Chupamon's nostrils flare, just suddenly, but noticeably. The dragon wriggled sideways just a little, half joining the little demon in the shade. He leaned up, speaking in a whisper. "Can you..."

Chupamon's eye darted towards him, and he spoke nearly silently. _"We're being followed. We have been since we entered the canyon."_

"How bad do you think it is?"

 _"They haven't attacked. Not yet. What should we do?"_

"We don't know who or what it is." The dragon looked amongst the others. "They've had a hell of a day. Let's not start a fight if we can help it. Just be prepared." Wyvermon stood up, looking down at the demon. "I'm glad we've made up."

He winked, and Chupamon nodded, barely but visibly. As the dragon walked away, Chupamon closed his eyes, all the while keeping his ears and nose fully open.

The presences didn't go away.

* * *

Placomon had been rather excited to join the motley group on their journey at first, but a few steps into the hot, dry rock she realised she may have made a _big mistake._ Not one to grouch, she kept it relatively quiet, but still she was lying flat out in the shade, taking great gulps of air like...well, like a fish out of water.

Joel was having no such problems; full of energy, bouncing between Marsuamon and Neonamon and Rachel and anyone else who wandered past, ready to exclaim for the umpteenth time how awesome it was to be a giant fish monster. Rachel had given up trying to calm him down, and was sat down between the D-Port and Placomon, an exasperated look on her face. She looked down at the stranded fish, and gave a short chuckle. "This can't be easy for you."

Placomon didn't answer, but gave a weak thumbs-up. There was a plonk on the other side of the D-Port as Marsuamon sat down, finally succumbing to the heat. She grinned over at the girl and the fish. "How do you guys manage it?"

"The energy?" Rachel shrugged. "It's a boy thing."

Marsuamon sniggered. "He's very pleased. I did mention a few times how we evolved before he did, but I don't think he heard me."

Placomon sat up. "You evolved too?"

"Three of us at this point; Wyvermon did it first." Marsuamon reached out and knocked the top of the D-Port. "Thanks to this awesome thing."

"Don't!"

Rachel reached out, and Marsuamon pulled back, looking glum. "Sorry. I forgot."

"Well, it's...fragile."

The wallaby looked at the girl, one hand still held tightly around the device, which seemed to be rattling even more the longer they travelled with it. Marsuamon looked up quizzically. "You're awfully attached to that thing. It should last long enough to send you home."

"It's not just that." Rachel sighed. "I want to bring it back to daddy. He spent a long time with it; I don't want to just...lose it."

"It is an interesting thing."

Rachel jumped as Neonamon slithered up in front of her, with a finally knackered Joel in tow. The boy crouched down, but the snake moved slightly closer, peering around the device. "You're saying you can make these in your world?"

"My dad made this one. But it's the only one." The girl shrugged. "He could probably make another, but I don't think he'd want to send any more people here."

"The amount of technology it must take to punch through the barrier between our worlds..." Neonamon whistled. "It truly is a remarkable piece of engineering."

Joel blinked, and squinted at the serpent. "Did you know our world existed?"

"Vaguely?" The little snake sat back, his frill fluttering. "We heard stories all our lives, of Digimon who just disappeared in a flash of light or something. But when we joined Dallurmon, he let us know about the truth the centre of his keep; a wall between worlds, he called it." He frowned to himself. "Which, come to think of it, I suppose must have been our world and your world." He shrugged, "Digimon who disappeared must have ended up in your world, though it didn't happen often."

Rachel and Joel looked at one another. The boy was crouched up, holding his heels. "Maybe they were our monsters?"

"The monsters in the myths and legends of our world?" Rachel's eyes widened, and she nodded. "Maybe. That would be cool."

Joel grinned, and turned back to Neonamon. "So then we must be the scary monsters to you."

The boy smirked, and waggled his fingers back and forth in the air, making woooooo noises. The snake hissed in what was most likely a small giggle. "You must be. Though I wouldn't call you monsters. You're too interesting." He frowned. "Dallurmon was always warning us to stay away from monsters."

"Do you like him?" Rachel leant forwards. "Dallurmon, I mean?"

"Well I do work for him."

"My daddy worked for a lot of people. It doesn't mean he liked them." Rachel looked aside. "And they definitely don't like him."

Neonamon looked wistfully to the side. "I suppose if you put it like that, I do complain about him an awful lot. Though don't tell Jiminymon. She'd have a fit." The snake looked left and right, and leaned forwards, beckoning the others to do the same. "Though you hear gossip. Dallurmon's nowhere near as popular as he's made out to be. A lot of Digimon don't like what he's done to the region."

Marsuamon folded her arms, huffing. "You can say that again. Damn arse never did anything to help me." She nodded. "But what about you?"

The serpent looked down, seeming nostalgic, and rather forlorn for someone so young. "I just do what's asked of me. And hopefully it gives me a chance to see the world. Find what I'm really meant to do."

He sighed. "I've been like this for a long time; small and weak. Far longer than most Digimon, in fact. I think I'm more experienced than some of the Rookies I've met. And yet I don't know why, or what my true calling really is. I think I once knew, back when I was a baby. It's there, I can feel it. I know it. But I can't remember."

Rachel nodded. "I wish you luck."

"You know, I wouldn't mind seeing your world one day."

All of a sudden the little snake looked up, his head lopsided, and his face smiling with a two-fanged smile that appeared slightly too wide to be completely sincere.

"That would be _really_ interesting."

* * *

The evening grew dark quicker than expected, and the winds began to pick up through it, making strange, eerie sounds like a pipe organ. Although they were dry by now, the group became very aware of their surroundings. As it got darker, they huddled around beneath the canyon walls, using some of the dead shrubs nearby for fire. One by one the group began to fall asleep, the day having taken its toll on all of them, physically and emotionally.

Alasdair sat next to Joel, both of them slightly worse for wear but keeping together. The older boy sighed. "I owe you an apology. I guess this was the right way to go after all."

Joel looked away, and folded his arms. "I thought you didn't want me around. I was gonna ask you." He glanced back. "I wouldn't run away."

"Yes, well...don't do it again."

Joel stuck his tongue out, but his face was playful, not bitter. Alasdair realised that was the most he was going to get out of the little tyke, so he lay back, staring up at the canyon walls.

The area was quite peaceful after the sun had gone in. George lay next to Jiminymon and Neonamon, sketching away in his notepad. Lizzie lay further away, her back turned to the group. Rachel was already fast asleep, with the D-Port lying next to her, dormant.

Yvonne looked amongst all of them with a smile on her face, tinged with sadness. She became aware of Lucy beside her, who was sitting in silence, as if in deep thought. Perhaps she was.

"We nearly lost people today." Yvonne remarked. "How far can we go with this?"

Lucy looked among them, her eyes glowing bright green in the dying flames. "They're good. They're all good people."

"So are you, you know."

Lucy pulled her knees up. She glanced up at Yvonne, who was looking at her with concern.

"I don't count."

"Of course you do."

"Never have." The taller girl stood up, brushed herself off, and wandered away, before Yvonne could say anything. There was a shuffling behind her, and Chupamon walked over, staring after Lucy.

Yvonne looked down at him, at his bright, pale eyes, and his red spines which seemed to glow even more in the dim light. He grunted. " _I know it's been a day of it, but just think; you could still have several weeks of walking to look forward to."_

"I know, I know." The girl smiled. "Are you coming with us?"

 _"I guess it's always fun with you people. Yeah, I'll help you get to the keep."_ Chupamon nodded forwards, to where Lucy was currently lying, and whispered, " _Is she okay?"_

Yvonne lowered her shoulders, her confidence drained. "I don't think anyone is. Not really."

 _"Should I...?"_ Chupamon sighed. " _I heard what she said just now. She's a good kid. She shouldn't have to go through anything like that."_

"Being rejected?"

 _"Being unacknowledged."_

He wandered forwards, and joined Lucy. Yvonne watched as the two of them lay back together, the little demon's spines still glowing gently.

Yvonne laid back herself, looking over at Arimon. He'd been quiet all evening. She knew he was still blaming himself. Even Digimon had crises of confidence, it seemed.

"It'll be okay."

The last flickers of the embers went out, leaving Yvonne alone in the dark. Vulnerable, and unaware of the many red eyes watching the group, as large metal bugs scuttled noiselessly over the canyon walls, sending silent messages to entities unknown.

"Everything will be okay..."

* * *

 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	6. Episode 6: The Almighty Bond

_**Digimon Inferno: Playing with Matches**_

 _ **Episode 6: The Almighty Bond**_

* * *

The walls of the canyon loomed ominously overhead as Mynahmon flapped between them, dodging and ducking through crevasses and overhangs, and generally having the time of her life. She cawed, listening to the sound of her angelic voice as it bounced through all the rock walls. There was a scuttling, but nothing more.

She flew back down and circled repeatedly around the first person she could find, which happened to be Lizzie, who was trudging along at the back of the group, her arms held tight and her head down.

"Isn't this place awesome? It's like an assault course, or a flight training place or something! Did you see me? Did you see me go through the loop?"

Lizzie threw an annoyed look at the bird. "No. I didn't. I'm busy trying to not have rocks fall on my head."

Mynahmon giggled. "Don't be silly! The rocks won't fall down."

"Don't say that!" Lizzie looked up, and then looked down again, her face pale. "You'll jinx it. This is already a very bad idea."

Mynahmon pouted, and hovered just above her, keeping an eye out on the group in front. "You're not very exciting, you know that?"

"Good."

"Don't you get bored?"

Lizzie gave a hoarse laugh. "I haven't been bored in this world since I got here."

"That's great!"

"That wasn't a positive."

"Oh." Mynahmon peered up, the wheels spinning in her head. "Great!"

"I...didn't...never mind." She hissed underneath her breath. "I don't do heights. Or tall things. Or...anything like that."

Mynahmon blinked. "It's fun up here. You can see a lot. If you go high enough you can see more!"

"More what?"

"Rocks, mainly."

Lizzie looked up, and her face finally gave way into a smile. "You're ridiculous." She looked down. "You're just like Yvonne. Nothing gets you down."

"Who?" Mynahmon thought again. "Oh yes, the girl with the orange hair tentacles."

"What?"

The bird faltered. "Isn't that what you call them?"

Another smile from Lizzie. "No. But it should be." She and the bird both laughed, and they marched further forwards, trying to keep up with Rachel in front. Lizzie saw Yvonne's hair tentacles bobbing up and down at the front of the line, and she looked down, her face grim.

Mynahmon noticed her, and flew a little closer. "Don't you like her?"

"Of course I do. She just...brings me into stupid situations. But then she always gets me through them." The girl dragged her feet. "I need to apologise."

"What for?"

"Stuff."

"What stuff?"

"You are impossible!" Lizzie looked up, and took a deep breath. "I said some mean things back at the river. Nasty things. I need to apologise. It's not her fault; any of this. I was just...scared. As usual."

Mynahmon bobbed up and down, looking all around. "There's a lot in this world. Too much to be scared of all of it." She leaned in, and perched atop Lizzie's shoulder. "You can't dwell on it. Focus on something good happening. Like when you apologise to her, and then become the best of friends forever."

"It's easy when you say it. Does anything phase you?" Lizzie looked up. "Also why are you riding up there?"

"My wings get tired."

"My legs get tired!"

"Well maybe after a bit you can ride on my back."

"Can you carry me?"

The bird looked away. "Maaaaaaybe."

Lizzie sighed, and crouched as the two of them ducked under an overpass. The canyon had widened out a little for the latter half, and everybody seemed in high spirits. Alasdair and Wyvermon were leading the party, holding the map and asking Jiminymon or Chupamon when things got tricky. Yvonne stayed up front as well, although her ever-present voice was somewhat lacking in its usual presence. Even Alasdair noticed this, and handed the map over to George, dropping backwards to join her.

"You okay? You've been remarkably quiet."

"Hmm?" Yvonne looked up, seeming distracted. She smiled. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong. I was...thinking."

"What about?"

"Err...girl stuff."

Alasdair blinked. "I've known you for three years now and you've never once talked about girl stuff."

"You're a boy. I wouldn't have talked to you about girl stuff."

"You told me about your dad, about all your friends at school and about the fact that you found a dead fox in your bathroom once."

Yvonne pouted, and Alasdair raised his hands.

"Look, if it's girl stuff, it's girl stuff. I won't poke. I'm just surprised, is all."

He shuffled forwards a bit again, when Yvonne clenched her fists. "It's not girl stuff."

"I had a feeling it wasn't."

He dropped back, and Wyvermon tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. He surreptitiously whistled at Arimon, and leaned in. "What the heck is girl stuff?"

The sheep shrugged. "Humans are weird."

Yvonne and Alasdair ignored them, walking together through the rocks. Alasdair's face was serious. "You've been quiet ever since the Tylomon problem. You don't blame yourself, do you?"

"It wasn't that." Yvonne exhaled. "Well, not just that. This whole journey's been a bit of a blow, honestly."

"You've got that right."

"You read stories, don't you? Kids who get whisked away to faraway lands and get caught up in grand adventures."

Alasdair put his hands in his pockets. "I've read a couple. They make it all look so easy, don't they?"

Yvonne looked ahead, her eyes far away. "I want to be a hero. But I also want us all to get home. And I want to get home myself, but I also see everything that's going on here and meet all the people around here and I want to help them and..."

"I get it. I do."

"You don't." Yvonne grinned. "But I'll pretend you do, if that helps."

"Fine." Alasdair breathed out. "It's a big world, Yvonne. You can't fix everything. I'd love it if you could; it would make mine and others' life a lot easier." He looked up, and smiled. "But the fact that you're here, and you talk to me and talk to the others and you're so friendly with it all; that's not nothing. That's helping in its own way. Maybe you're more of a hero than you think."

He smiled sincerely, his eyes meeting the girl's. She blushed, and looked away, her lips curling up in a half-smile. "That sounds so corny."

"Corny's good, once in a while. It helps break up all the nastiness."

"Hey, I'm not complaining. I love corny." Yvonne's hand went up to her helmet, her fingers curling around the glass of the goggles. "I wonder what my dad felt, when he was saving the world."

Hers and Alasdair's thoughts were interrupted as they walked into the backs of the people in front, nearly tumbling over them. The effect rippled back through the group like a concertina, everyone letting off huffs of surprise and annoyance. "Wassat? What's going on?"

Alasdair peered over George's shoulder, and the other boy held the map out, pointing at a path. "That's where we're supposed to be going, isn't it?"

Alasdair looked closely at the map. "I...think so." He looked up. "Though I can see the problem."

Where a wide, sloping section of canyon was indicated on the map, there was instead a wall. Not a whole wall; it was rough and haphazard, as if a section of the surrounding canyon had collapsed in on itself. In fact, almost exactly like that. A huge pile of rocks, piled up in the centre of the path, too high to climb easily and with no easily accessible gaps.

George huffed, and put his hands on his hips. "Well that's unfortunate. But I guess it happens." He checked the parchment again, and looked to his right. "There is another path. We can rejoin where we were going."

He smiled down at Jiminymon, who was standing motionless, her antennae flickering. She caught him staring, and jumped, turning to face him. "Yes, um, that would be...a good idea..."

On her back, Neonamon giggled. "You must excuse her. She doesn't deal with changes to her travel plans."

The group carried on, following the other path round. Only Yvonne, Arimon, Wyvermon and Alasdair held back, looking up at the wall of rocks. Wyvermon ground his teeth, and Yvonne reached out, running her hand down the sandstone. "It's an interesting place for it to fall."

"How so?"

"Right where the path splits."

Arimon's ears flickered, and he looked behind him. Wyvermon noticed, and pointed down the other path. "We should catch up. It's easy to get lost in here."

"But I think-"

Yvonne caught the dragon's worried eye, and looked back herself. She grabbed Alasdair's hand, and they hurried back to the group, who were slightly quieter than usual, all of them glancing around. The canyon was very exposed now, the harsh sides giving way to great sloping ones. Sides which, in all honesty, seemed much less prone to rockfalls than they actually seemingly were.

Wyvermon's eyes darted backwards, and he brought his shoulders up a bit, his claws digging into the dirt. Alasdair looked down, then looked forwards again. But he whispered. "What is it?"

"What's what?"

"You're all tense."

The dragon looked up. "It's...uh..."

"Oh bother."

The group stopped again, huddling slightly closer. Up ahead of them, once again, was a rockfall, this one twice as high as the other. Yet again, there was another path; a narrower one this time which led beneath more tight cliffs.

Yvonne gestured to the others, and they all gathered together. "Okay, once is unfortunate, but twice is deliberate. Someone's following us." She glanced down at Wyvermon and Chupamon, her voice taking on a firm edge. "Am I right?"

"Er..."

Lizzie bit her lower lip. "Shouldn't we go back?"

"If we can..."

Joel raised a hand. "I heard a bang behind me a while ago."

"A bang?"

"Yeah. Like a bunch of rocks breaking or something."

"Oh. Great."

Jiminymon tapped her foot nervously. "That settles it then. We're walking straight into a trap."

Lizzie went pale. "Can we not? Please?"

Wyvermon sat down, scratching underneath his chin."Surely if they were just going to kill us, they'd have done it before when we were all stuck and defenceless."

He felt a nudge in his side from Arimon, and looked up to see the terrified faces of Rachel and Lizzie. He coughed. "Not that they would have killed us. We're too powerful and would easily win in a fight."

He glanced up at Arimon for confirmation, who gave a sarcastic thumbs-up. Alasdair sighed. "Does this ever stop...alright, votes we carry on?"

There were no votes. Only blank stares. Marsuamon raised a hand. "What are the other options?"

There weren't any.

They pressed forwards, the only sounds being their footsteps and the sounds of whatever was following them. Said sounds grew in number and intensity, until it was as if a million cicadas were lining the rocky walls, which were growing steeper, and more hazardous. Yvonne held the D-Port tightly, her hands hovering over the buttons, although it wasn't as if she knew how on earth it worked.

They turned right at the next blockade. Then right again. Then left. Then, finally, but inevitably, they were completely closed in; a narrow pass, where even the lowest points were jagged, and where the children and the Digimon pressed themselves together, looking all around.

The humming sound increased, and the group tensed themselves. Then, inexplicably, it stopped. George swallowed. "I think we've reached our destination."

Mynahmon peered up from her perch on Lizzie's shoulder. "Do you think I could fly up?"

"I think you could. I don't think it would be a good idea." Lizzie crouched, looking nervously all around. "Someone's watching."

"Look there!"

Joel pointed, as something stepped out of the ravine with a click-clack. It was an insect, like a huge, bulky beetle, chrome-plated with beady red eyes. Its back was flat and plate-shaped, engraved with an odd symbol and tilting back and forth. The insect stared at them, but said nothing. Not that it needed to, as Wyvermon gasped. "That's a Searchmon."

"A what?"

The dragon looked up at Alasdair. "The region uses them to communicate between villages."

The beetle remained staring, but all around, more and more Searchmon were appearing as if from nowhere. Some of them clambered out from behind the rock. Some of them dropped down from above, some of them followed them up the path behind them, blocking the way out, and yet more seemed to materialize out of nowhere. Rachel squeaked, and crouched down next to Marsuamon. "Not bugs! I hate bugs!"

The beetles remained all around, staring, and letting off that mysterious hum as their plates all moved randomly. Alasdair swallowed. "They're not attacking."

"They don't attack. They simply talk. Somebody brought them all here."

"Who?"

Jiminymon stepped forwards. "I don't know. But these are Dallurmon's scouts."

She stared around, peering up at the top of the canyon. The cricket squinted against the bright sunlight, before buzzing irritably. "Whoever you are, you're interfering with my work."

A silhouette stepped out; slightly too far to make out clearly, but instantly recognisable for Jiminymon.

The cricket nodded. "Phorusrhamon."

"Jiminymon."

"This is a bit of a...threatening greeting, don't you think?"

The terror bird hopped down a couple of steps, so the children could get a good look at her. She was tall, with thin, yet powerful legs and a long neck, all covered with chain-mail. Her wings unfurled to reveal more limbs; slender arms with sharpened talons all along the outer edge. Her face was thin-beaked, steely, and immensely stern, with sharp eyes darting between each of the members down there in turn.

"I was sent to meet you. With an escort of my choosing."

Yvonne looked down at the cricket. "You know each oth-"

"Silence!"

The bird's rough voice echoed through the ravine, harsh enough that even the Searchmon quivered just a little. Yvonne immediately shut her mouth, but she felt Neonamon slither up her back and perch on her shoulder. He whispered into her ear. "She's one of Dallurmon's senior administrators."

"So she'll help us, right?"

"Um..."

Phorusrhamon narrowed her eyes. "Didn't you hear me?" She pointed a wing, extending a claw at Neonamon as she did so. "You're a little inexperienced to be dealing with a situation like this, aren't you?"

Neonamon went red, but Jiminymon interrupted. "He's my responsibility. I allowed him."

"Under what authority?"

"Under the understanding that, given a situation unable to be solved in a manner covered in training, I was to rely on my own judgement to determine an appropriate course of action. Given the unpredictable circumstances I maintained that it was necessary to procure an appointment between this party and Lord Dallurmon."

George raised his eyebrows and looked down at her. "Impressive."

"Of course. I take pride in what I do." The cricket chirped in a satisfied manner, before looking up at Phorusrhamon. "I haven't broken protocol. The children are my responsibility between now and when we meet with Dallurmon."

"You say you will take responsibility?"

"Of course." Jiminymon bowed her head. "Please. Allow us passage. We will only be a day-"

"That will be unnecessary."

Jiminymon flinched, and spoke again, although her voice was less confident. "Phorusrhamon, I have already seen several incidents-"

"I'm very well aware of what you've seen, and of your handling of the situations. I will not question your motives, only your approach. These...creatures, as you've no doubt seen, are unknown in power and motive. We cannot allow them such simple access to the interior of the keep. Do you understand?"

Jiminymon looked down, mumbling.

"I said do you understand?"

"Yes, senior administrator."

"Excellent. As your own methods were invalid a new one has been established-"

Alasdair clenched his fists, and stepped forward, with Wyvermon holding out a claw in vain. "Alasdair, no!"

It was too late. Phorusrhamon stopped talking, and fixed her gaze on the boy. "Yes?"

Alasdair got to one knee, bowing his head. "Please...we just want to get home. We mean you no trouble, or harm, to you or this world. We're lost, and we just request co-operation. No more." He closed his eyes. "Please may we meet with Dallurmon?"

The canyon was silent for a moment, which felt like an hour. Phorusrhamon raised her head, looking down her beak. "I was getting to that."

The boy looked up, and the bird gestured. "All of you, turn around."

Slowly, they did so, and noticed that the Searchmon were vibrating, the hum increasing. The plates on their back, so chaotic before, were now moving in unison, like a wave, and glowing.

The air shimmered, as if a window of water had appeared in the sky. As the Searchmon shifted millimetre by millimetre, it expanded, as horizontal and vertical lines streaked back and forth, like the screen on a TV set. A silhouette appeared, fuzzy grey against the blue sky. It swayed, and rippled, getting ever so slowly clearer. Jiminymon had pushed her way to the front of the group again, squinted, then gasped and bowed downwards. Alasdair looked down, and saw that Wyvermon and Arimon had done the same, and Neonamon, and even Marsuamon, although she was merely keeping her head low. Yvonne turned to the rest of them, and gestured. They all lowered themselves, touching the burning rock below them as the figure finally entered crystal clarity.

The hologram reached up to the height of the canyon, but even if that was an exaggeration, the figure's proportions indicated him to be very tall indeed. He was more humanoid than anyone they'd met, with a chiselled form like that of a Greek athlete. He had three toes on each foot, each with a blunt claw, and engraved silver rings around his ankles. He wore simple clothing, seemingly made out of the pelts of animals, and a sealskin over his back, the upper jaw sling back like a hood.

One arm was long and muscular, with three broad fingers and a thumb clenched together. The other arm was missing just above the elbow, replaced instead by a cylinder of metal, with pegs sticking out at random angles, like a large key-shaft. The figure had a close-cropped beard and a four-horned helmet of beaten iron, and his eyes were hidden under more leathery fabric. The entirety of his skin seemed to ripple; partly with the fuzzy picture, and partly due to several tattoos that shifted back and forth like liquid, and swirled into mystical patterns.

He stared down into the ravine, his expression unreadable. On the ledge at the end, Phorusrhamon bent her legs and bowed as well, effortlessly keeping her balance.

"Lord Dallurmon."

The mighty holograph peered down, having a perfect view of the group despite being many miles away. Nobody spoke for a few moments. Eventually Alasdair could take no more, and he went to push himself to his feet, when the lord of the region finally spoke.

"Administrator!"

His voice was harsh, making everyone jump. Slowly, Jiminymon raised her head, clearly in some distress. "Lord, I-"

"What on earth do you think you're doing?"

The cricket flinched, and looked down. "I...I-I...I made a...judgement of..."

Phorusrhamon cleared her throat. "In her words, she was bringing the...humans...to see you, my lord. She wished for your guidance."

"She can speak for herself."

Phorusrhamon nodded, and Jiminymon chirruped nervously. She felt a hand on her back, and glanced back to see George, giving a small nod of support. "It's true I was looking for your guidance. This is a...situation outside of one I am familiar with. Having deemed the children to be of no threat, I was going to ask for your assistance in aiding-"

Dallurmon raised his palm. "On what grounds?"

"I...I don't understand-"

"On what grounds did you deem the humans are no threat?"

"They...aided in the suppression of Nightmare Soldiers-"

"That's odd. I would have deemed that to be a very large threat, if they were able to take down rogue Digimon."

"We...decided...with the overseers-"

Dallurmon leaned forwards, the ink on his clothing shifting like liquid. " _You_ are the administrator. If you are going to make decisions, _you_ need to be able to back them up. So tell me. On what grounds are these creatures not a threat?"

Jiminymon stammered. Under pressure, she couldn't get any words out. Neonamon poked his head up from beside Wyvermon. "Excuse me? Dallurmon, sir?"

The giant shifted his head sideways, as the serpent continued. "We've travelled with them. Spoken with them. They harbour no ill will towards the Digital World, and have aided us in many times of crises." He quickly smiled at Alasdair, before continuing. "They wish to return to their world. Nothing more."

Dallurmon straightened up again. "I see. Then there is nothing to discuss."

"Thank you, my lord."

"Apart from the fact that you have _NEGLECTED_ to _ANSWER!"_

The Searchmon hummed with such ferocity that even Neonamon paled, and shrank back down. The leader of the region paced back and forth, his form shimmering in the sunlight. "It appears to me that you have _misunderstood_ your _duties_ as administrators. You are to maintain the world _as it is_. On discovering these creatures, you have neglected to inform me directly despite obviously realising the significance of their being here. Instead you have integrated yourselves, allowing yourself to become personally attached." He stopped, and his head swept from Digimon to Digimon. "All of you; you have neglected your duties as citizens. You are jeopardizing order."

Arimon clenched his paws, and he gingerly stood up. "There were incidents-"

"More important than this?"

"Lives were at risk!"

"Enough!" Dallurmon's booming voice shouted the sheep back down to his knees. The holograph stood tall, and his voice took on a softer tone, although no less aggressive.

"Shall I tell you what I have seen? Because I've been watching. I watched these creatures rip a hole in the fabric of our world, and from what I saw, _they_ endangered your village. Not only that," and here he pointed a claw at the D-Port, which was humming gently, " _THAT_ infernal contraption has interfered with the purity of the Digital World. Not one, but _three_ of you have been forcibly fused with alien material, corrupting the process of your evolution. And you have the gall to tell me this doesn't pose a threat? That the core of Yggdrasil itself isn't threatened by their presence?"

Wyvermon glared up. "We weren't forced! We were-"

"Silence!" Dallurmon splayed his palm, grinding his teeth in anger. "I've seen enough! The carnage they have caused while being here. These creatures will destroy this world and you will-"

"...humans..."

A muscle in Dallurmon's face twitched. "Who was that?"

No answer. He surveyed the group before him; tiny, crouched-over figures, all staring at the ground. "You are young. Foolish. You don't see the dangers of these alien monsters."

"Shut UP!"

Without warning, Yvonne stood up, her face red with a rage that even Lizzie hadn't seen before. She splayed a palm and slammed it against her chest. "Humans! Children! People! We are not monsters! Or creatures! _Talk! To! Us!"_

Jiminymon yelped, and reached forwards, tapping Yvonne on the leg. "Uh, no, not a good idea-"

Yvonne wasn't listening; she pointed straight at the holograph's face. "I've been listening to what you've been saying and what you're like, and truth be told, I don't really like you. And I can tell you don't really like me, or any of us. But for god's sake; _acknowledge_ us! We're lost! That's all there is to it!"

Dallurmon stared down at her, and his face was unreadable beneath his mask. Still, Yvonne could feel the steely gaze that she couldn't even see boring into her skull. She stepped back. "We just want your help. That's all. Nothing more." She bowed her head. "Please."

Dallurmon turned away. He raised his single arm to his chin. Yvonne could see the stub of his other one, the keys twisting and turning and shifting up and down; a perpetually changing combination. She clasped her hands together, and raised them up to her forehead.

"Please. Just...listen..."

Dallurmon turned back. He looked up, and nodded at Phorusrhamon.

"Kill them. Now."

"Sir."

The group looked amongst themselves in horror. Lizzie turned around and screamed as she saw the bird leapt down, her sharpened wings glinting. But Marsuamon and Mynahmon leapt up before she could reach them, holding their bodies wide. "Please, stop!"

Phorusrhamon did so, her beak twitching. "Stand aside. You heard."

"Get between us!"

Phorusrhamon tried to dart around, but the Digimon were fast, holding out their arms and legs and staring out at her, lying directly between her and the children. Wyvermon snarled, and swiped at her legs as she came close, causing her to drop back, her eagle eyes staring down. "You'd do well not to obstruct me!"

"Shut up! This is wrong!"

The great holograph clenched his fist, as Alasdair stood up with Yvonne, yelling up at him. "Please! You don't have to do this!"

"Yes I do. You were warned."

"When? We've never met you-"

Rachel yelled out, and reached out to Yvonne. "The computers...they-"

The girl was already there; she stared up in horror at the Digimon lord. "So that was you?"

"I _warned_ you! You have no right to complain!"

"It was an accident! We didn't realise we'd come here; we don't even know how we did it!"

Lizzie was on her knees now, and she shuffled around, staring up at Dallurmon's form. " _Please...we just want to go home..."_

"Let us go!"

"We'll never come back!"

Dallurmon's face twitched, and he slammed his fist down on something just out of shot, making the entire image shimmer.

" _SILENCE!"_

Everyone stopped. Even Phorusrhamon backed up, looking up at the imposing figure. Only Arimon still glared up, defiant, his hand curled around his dagger.

"Why, Lord Dallurmon? Why do you want them dead? There must be..." He looked down at the Searchmon, then up at Yvonne, who was waiting with baited breath.

"...some mistake. Some...horrible, horrible mistake."

Dallurmon's arm went up to his shoulder, and he winced, as if remembering a painful memory.

"I can't tell you."

Yvonne glared up. "You'll just murder us? And expect us to be okay with it?"

"If I told you the truth, it would cause you pain before you died."

"So now you care about us?"

"No. I don't." Dallurmon rolled his shoulders, and stood to his full height. "I care about my world. The Digital World. Yes, it was me who spoke to you. I see you, through my own power, and through the wall between worlds. I know about your kind. Not much. But what you are like, and how you live. I'm sure you wish to go home, but that's impossible."

Yvonne opened her mouth to protest, but she was silenced by Dallurmon's palm. He looked down at his hand, and began clicking his fingers, as if trying to remember something.

"How do I put this...I believe, in your world, you have...what are they called...rodents? Rats. Vermin. They are clearly intelligent, and survive how they can. That is how they live. There's nothing wrong with that. And yet you...when they enter your homes, you kill them. Why is that?"

Yvonne pressed her lips together. She didn't want to answer. It was George who spoke up, his voice quivering a little.

"They...steal our food. Breed. We can't live with them; they cause too much...damage."

"I thought so." Dallurmon's arm fell to his side, and he turned slightly, turning his head away. "You judge them when they invade; not out of malice, but of self-preservation. You exercise your right as the greater species. I cannot fault you for that. And you cannot fault me for doing the same."

"We won't-"

"You already have." Dallurmon's head snapped back, and he leant down on one knee, the ink on his face swirling as he glared at them. "You have disrupted this world. Violated its residents. Broken the wall between worlds and killed several. Children or no, you are damaging this world through your very existence, and you cannot be allowed to continue."

Yvonne stepped back, raising her arms. "Then let us leave! We'll never come back, I...I-I-I promise!"

"But you will. Or if not you, then more of your kind." Dallurmon sighed. "It's your way. It's how you live. This stops, and this stops here."

"Will you just-"

"Please understand. You are to me as rats are to you."

 _"-just-"_

"I am only protecting my world."

 _"-just LISTEN TO US!"_

Yvonne stared up, desperation and horror on her face, as Lord Dallurmon stood to his full height again. He looked up at Phorusrhamon. "Like I said, kill them."

The bird bowed her head, then looked up. "The Digimon?"

"If they will not stand down, kill them too."

"Sir?"

"This goes beyond them." Dallurmon turned, facing back down the canyon. "End this. Now."

He shimmered, and disappeared. The Searchmon dispersed as quickly as they had gathered, rushing back down the canyon, into the rocks, over the ravines. Phorusrhamon was left facing the group of children, and the loose circle of Digimon around them. The bird scraped her foot against the rock, swaying. "You Digimon heard. Step away if you value your lives. Abandon these...children. They mean nothing to you."

Lizzie was crying. So was Joel. George was rocking back and forth, his eyes wide and darting. Lucy's arms were across her stomach, holding her sides. Rachel had her arms around the D-Port, glaring up at the bird as she marched forwards, rattling her sharpened wings and sharing glances with the assembled Digimon.

"I outrank you all in level. If you face me, you won't survive."

Alasdair turned to Yvonne, who was staring down the canyon, where Dallurmon had been just seconds before. "Yvonne...what do we do...?"

There was no answer. The girl just dropped to her knees, her shoulders sagging like a ragdoll. Alasdair could hear her mutter to herself. "This is it then...this is where we die..."

Phorusrhamon was closest to her. Jiminymon and Placomon were between them, tensed up.

"Yvonne!"

Still no reaction. Only the scraping of metal as Phorusrhamon raised her wing.

Alasdair's hands went to his sides, and he looked down at his partner. "You guys go."

Wyvermon glared up. "Alasdair-"

"GO!"

The dragon jumped, and all the Digimon around turned to look at him. He inhaled with shaky breath.

"Thank you, all, for getting us here. You don't need to do anymore for us." He forced a smile. "It's the will of your lord. It's only right."

"You...need to run..."

The boy looked over his shoulder. "Where to?"

Phorusrhamon pulled back, waiting for their response. Jiminymon hung her head, and walked away. Neonamon poked his head out, and slithered after her. Then, one by one, the Digimon pulled themselves back. Placomon. Mynahmon. Wyvermon, holding his head lower than it had ever been. Marsuamon. Arimon, joining his friend, gripping his dagger so tightly his knuckles were white. Lucy reached out and nudged Chupamon, who slunk away, his tail dragging on the rock.

Phorusrhamon nodded at the group of Digimon, as they stared helplessly. "Forget this ever happened. For your own sakes."

She reached out. Yvonne glanced to the side as she felt the cold steel of the bird's feather on her shoulder, sliding towards her neck.

"It'll be painless. For all of you."

She exhaled.

"I'm sorry."

She pulled back, as the feather extended.

" **Silent Sniper!** "

" **Brave Dagger!** "

Yvonne flinched, but the blow didn't come. Instead there was a thud, and she opened her eyes, looking at her would-be executioner, now writhing on the ground. Chupamon was pinning down one leg. Marsuamon the other. And there, standing above the bird's chest, with his dagger locked with Phorusrhamon's bladed feather, was Arimon. He looked over his shoulder, and shouted through gritted teeth.

"Get back! All of you!"

Phorusrhamon screeched, and lunged with her massive beak, slamming it into Arimon's shoulder. " _What are you doing?"_

Arimon braced himself against the pain, and pushed back, his dagger glowing all the more. "I'm fulfilling my duty." He glared aside, at where Wyvermon and the others were standing. "The question is, what are you doing? Help us!"

Jiminymon quailed, and Wyvermon gritted his teeth. "Dallurmon said...there's nothing left we can-"

"Are you kidding me? You _never_ listened to him before!"

The dragon's eyes snapped open. Mynahmon and Placomon looked at one another, spurred from their inaction. Arimon forced a smile as he was forced backwards by the stronger Digimon yet again. "What Dallurmon said doesn't matter! What matters is doing the right thing! If he won't do it, then it's up to us!"

Phorusrhamon's eyes widened. "You're...rebelling?"

Wyvermon grinned, crouching down. "Is that what we're doing now? Finally, we have permission!"

" **Jewel Rush!** "

The bird raised a wing as the dragon shot towards her, the blades bouncing off his hardened exterior. She clattered to the side, as Chupamon and Marsuamon rose, brushing the dust away. Marsuamon laughed out loud. "Finally, an excuse to beat on these bastards!"

" _Behind you!"_

The wallaby twisted, lashing out with a knee that crashed against Phorusrhamon's attack. Marsuamon came off the worst, and the terror bird lunged again.

" **Silent Sniper!** "

Marsuamon rolled away, but the terror bird's attacks kept coming, although far less controlled than they had been. The terror bird was confused. She was shaken. She couldn't comprehend this.

"This wasn't supposed to happen-"

" _ **Odious Dread!**_ _"_

A shadow fell across her vision, and a white skull burned itself into her mind. She lashed out, wildly, but Chupamon's damage was done as he bounded forwards, slicing at her legs with his crimson talons.

" **Floral Burst!** "

" **Depth Charge!** "

Wyvermon looked back, grinning as Placomon and Mynahmon rushed forwards into the fray, their attacks crashing into Phorusrhamon once again. Only Jiminymon was left, backing slowly away, and saying nothing.

Under fire, Phorusrhamon steeled herself. Enough was enough.

" **Razorwind Guillotine!** "

She ducked from Placomon's second attack and her legs shot out as she spun in the air, her feet glowing. A trail of white light burst out from them, shooting outwards in a spiral all around her. Mynahmon lost a few feathers with a squawk. Arimon caught the flat of it, buckling his armour. The others, and the children, ducked just in time as the attack shot over their heads, crashing into the rock behind.

Phorusrhamon was up again in an instant, knocking away Wyvermon and Chupamon like they were nothing. "If you've gone rogue, you will all face the same fate!"

" **Bright Barrage!** "

Arimon swung his sword, releasing an arc of fireworks that flew towards the terror bird, but she swung her wings, knocking them away effortlessly. Her eagle eyes landed on him, and she rushed forwards, bringing up three metallic blades before he could even react. He was thrown backwards, miraculously staying on his feet, and only just able to bring up his dagger in time to block her twin blades aiming at his neck.

"Arimon!"

The sheep gritted his teeth as he pressed back, but the pressure was all upon him. His eye flickered back, and he saw Yvonne still kneeling there, staring at him.

"Why...why are you risking...everything...?"

The sheep chuckled, still struggling. "Come on, Yvonne. Let's see a smile."

Phorusrhamon's leg lashed out, catching him in the sternum. But before she could follow it up, there was a blast of light and a flapping of wings from Mynahmon, who flew past cawing. Arimon hopped back while the terror bird was temporarily distracted, and smiled at the girl, still watching him.

"We're gonna get you home. No matter what."

Something was triggered inside Yvonne. The corners of her mouth turned up, and she stood tall, bringing her goggles down. She turned to the others. "I don't know about you but I've had enough!"

"I quite agree!"

Phorusrhamon leapt back away from Wyvermon's attack, and glared at everyone before her. "I was going to be considerate to you, but there's no reason to show mercy to traitors!"

Yvonne turned to Rachel. "The D-Port! Now! Full throttle!"

The younger girl didn't hesitate; her hand slammed down on the buttons, and instantly the vortex reached out. Alasdair turned, and reached his hand out, only to catch Phorusrhamon leaping towards him from the side.

" _I won't let you!_ **Silent-** "

Yvonne rushed forwards, throwing her whole body at the bird and knocking her just far enough for Alasdair to roll away. The girl managed to hold onto the terror bird's torso for a magnificent two seconds before she too was thrown away, rolling in the dust. Alasdair pulled her up, and they faced the bird now turning towards them, arching her back and splaying her feathers. Alasdair grimaced.

"Great..."

Yvonne got to her feet, smiling at him. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

The girl glanced down at Alasdair's arm, seeing blood running freely down it from when Phorusrhamon had jumped him. He went to raise it, but she held it down, holding out her own palm towards the advancing enemy.

"Let me take it from here."

"Do you know how?"

The girl smiled, and her arm went to the vortex as it whipped towards her, the data stream turning from burning red to vivid purple. "How hard can it be?"

She closed her palm, and the energy swallowed her before Phorusrhamon could reach her. The bird turned on the others, only for Arimon to rush forwards, blade in hand and blocking the bird's swipes again. Phorusrhamon had learned by now, and she lashed out, her leg catching him in the midriff and sending his blade clattering away. She was on him in an instant, her voice croaking.

"You rely far too much on that little pinprick of a weapon."

Arimon forced a smile. "It hasn't let me down so far." He stretched out his arm, looking behind Phorusrhamon.

"And neither will she!"

The terror bird turned too late, as the purple energy rushed past her ear, blasting her aside and burrowing straight into Arimon's chest.

* * *

 _The woman stood on the lawn, holding her two-year old daughter in her arms. She gently rocked the toddler up and down, all the while making sure to keep looking away, so as not to betray the tears falling down her cheeks._

 _"Where's Papa?"_

 _The lady didn't answer. She just kept rocking her daughter back and forth. The girl wriggled, trying to look down from her vantage point. She reached down, towards the single, white slab that lay in the earth, one of hundreds just like it._

 _"Where's Papa?"_

 _Slowly, the girl's mother placed her daughter down on the grass. She nudged her forwards, and the girl hobbled, unsteadily, reaching out towards the stone._

 _"Say bye-bye, my love."_

 _The toddler reached out, her hands brushing against the lettering on the smooth rock. She had no way of knowing what it said, but she followed the lettering regardless, from the beginning to the end._

 _Colin McMillan. 1921-1945. Rest in peace._

 _The little girl turned around, reaching out towards her mother._

 _"I want to see Papa. Where's Papa?_

 _Her face cracked, and she began to cry; loud sobs that echoed through the quiet park. Her mother reached down, and scooped her up once again, patting her on the back and hushing. She leant forwards and kissed her daughter on the forehead, her lips wet from her own tears._

 _"Papa's a hero, my love. Your papa saved the world."_

 _The moment seemed lost in time, the edges flickering, like in a poor photograph. Yvonne and Arimon were sat together, watching the scene unfold. Yvonne's hand went to her cheek, her knuckle brushing against the grey strap of her helmet. She could feel the tear running down, even here. Even out of time and space._

 _"I'm going to be a hero."_

 _Arimon stood up, and unsheathed his sword, in one hand. The girl looked up at his face; half scared, but half fearless. He unfurled his other hand. "Shall we go?"  
_

 _The girl reached out, and her hand curled around his, releasing sparks from the very touch._

" _Together?"_

 _"Heroes together. Forever."_

* * *

"Arimon, Soul Interlock!"

Arimon fell to his knees, his back arching and his arms buckling with the pain. He was just aware of Phorusrhamon coming towards him, and he crawled back, reaching out towards his dagger in the brief moment he had.

" **Silent Sniper!** "

The sheep brought the blade round just in time, and he glared up, his eyes dazzling with a purple light.

"Evolution Activate!"

Another wave of energy sent the terror bird backwards again, stumbling over and crashing into the dust. She watched, as within a manner of seconds Arimon's body changed, his wool sparkling and shimmering and letting off particles of light. His body swelled; not so much as the others had done, but enough. His arms and legs cracked, shifting positions into a quadrupedal form. His eyes glowed with determined anger as he swung his head upwards, shaking off the purple energy.

The large ram stood where Arimon had been seconds before, pawing the ground with broad, clawed feet. His skin was darker, and the wool no longer covered his entire torso, instead merely draped over his back, with moulded armour plates covering his shoulders and the tops of his thighs. The wool itself was far less fluffy and welcoming than his previous form; it glowed a bright yellow, and shifted angrily, as if composed of a liquid flame. The Digimon had two great curved ram's horns, pointing downwards, and nestled between them was a helmet of purple and black steel, with a single horn and golden rims around the eyes. The sheep stared ahead at Phorusrhamon with his indigo-blue eyes, full of conviction.

"Khrysomamon!"

Phorusrhamon was physically shaken, and she raised both her wings, her eyes darting around the new creature. "It's true...you have...desecrated your own data..." Her feathers extended, and she growled. "What kind of monster are you?"

"I'm not a monster. I am a soldier, and I will become a hero!"

Khrysomamon tilted his head back, and from his wool he drew a longsword of black metal, with the edges glowing red-hot. He reared up, then landed again, pointing the burning tip directly at his adversary.

"Bring it!"

" **Razorwind Guillotine!** "

Phorusrhamon rushed forwards with blades in hand. Khrysomamon stepped back, moving his sword back and forth with an incredible expertise, but the spinning attack was still far too fast for him to deal with unscathed. One leg slashed into his shoulder, and another came close to his eye, only just missing and leaving a scratch in his muzzle. He twisted the blade in his mouth and barged forwards, stopping the terror bird's attack in its tracks. Phorusrhamon turned, bringing her head forward in a savage peck, but the sheep tilted his head and her beak connected with his horn. The two of them turned, kicking up dust in a standoff.

" **Silent Sniper!** "

The bird ducked, feinting with the first blade and sending the second one into Khrysomamon's flank. She grinned, but her mirth was short lived as the flames leapt up the metal, scorching her wing. She pulled away, hissing as she did so. "Why are you laying your lives on the line for these creatures?"

"They're people!" The sheep leapt forward, bringing his horned head into the bird's chest in a gutwrenching impact. She staggered back, her movements disorientated, as the sheep rushed behind her, twisting at the last second and thrusting his hind legs out with an immense force. She was grounded, and she glared up as Khrysomamon glared down at her.

"They have as much right to life as we do! No matter how different they are! Neither you nor lord Dallurmon has _any_ right to deny them that!"

Phorusrhamon spun on the spot, her sharpened legs slashing at the ram's. One foot caught him in the ankle, sending him over, and she got to her feet in that instant, bringing one blade forwards. The ram turned his head at the last second, sword in hand and eye glinting.

"I will fight for their right to live! And I will keep fighting, no matter _what_ you threaten me with!"

The edges of the blade blade began to glow even more ferociously, and the flames spring up again; bright orange and lashing out all around.

" **Burning Blade!** "

Khrysomamon twisted his head and wrenched the bladed feathers away, the sword now white-hot in his grip. He threw himself forwards, lashing out with hooves and sword alike, landing heavy hits on his opponent's armoured body and leaving great black gashes. She tried to lash back with immensely quick stabs and whirling legs, but at this moment, Khrysomamon had the upper hand; he reared up and punched outwards with both front legs, sending her juddering back into the fractured wall. Off her balance, she barely raised her wing enough to block the blade as it swung for her chest.

" **Silent-** "

The blades extended just in time to prevent her immediate decapitation, but they were sliced in half, and the firepower was enough to send her rolling in the dust.

Khrysomamon leapt over her, twisting his blade in his mouth as he stabbed downwards, holding it just above his opponent's chest. They remained for a second, with the ram's burning eyes facing directly into her steely ones.

"You hold no power over us. We will get these children home. Retreat, and tell our lord."

"I will not take orders from you!" Phorusrhamon's leg lashed out, and the ram dropped to one knee, shuffling backwards as he saw the other one coming.

" **Razorwind Guillotine!** "

The attack was more vicious, taking gouges out of the ram's shoulder. The terror bird stood up, and glared at Khrysomamon. "I'm so disappointed in all of you...it's a waste for you Digimon to die here..."

"We're not going to! **Tidal Pressure!** "

The bird's head whipped around, and she squawked out loud at the sudden towering form of Osteomon, sending a rush of dust-laden water towards her.

" **Blindside Bruiser!** "

Procoptomon's feet lashed out, striking the terror bird on the back of the head. She groaned, the metal unscathed but her pride seriously dented as she slashed backwards. The kangaroo jumped away out of her reach, perching on the nearest outcrop of rock. "Missed me, birdie!"

Phorusrhamon looked left and right, before back at the sheep. "Where the hell is everyone?"

"You think we're just going to let you pick us off one by one?" The sheep shrugged. "There's three of us now; I think that's fair given your level."

The bird was livid; glancing at the three Champion-level traitors in front of her, and the group of remaining humans and Digimon hiding amongst the rubble. She had been pretty sure she could overpower one of them in a fight, given her advanced level, and all the times before she had felt a sense of honour in fighting personally for her lord. But these Digimon...they were different. The power here was unnatural. Her reservations were gone.

She leapt backwards gazing down at all of them as she perched on the cliff-edge. "You will go no further!"

Her leg stamped against the rock below, cracking it, as the three before her got closer. Khrysomamon leapt up a few steps with all the grace of a mountain goat, his sword hidden amongst his wool. "You're out of options. You can't stop us."

Down below, Alasdair looked around; at the Digimon, all with expressions of triumph on their faces, with the exception of Jiminymon, who still looked shell-shocked. He closed his fist. "Something doesn't feel right..."

"Ali."

The boy turned, and looked back down the canyon. He couldn't see anything. But he could feel something. Something big.

Phorusrhamon's beak twisted itself down into a focused scowl, and she brought her leg up and down again, piercing the red stone. Unaware of the imminent danger, Procoptomon took a few hops forwards, standing just below Khrysomamon. "Out the way, lady."

"You seem mistaken."

The kangaroo bristled. "How so?"

"You seem to be under the impression that I came without backup."

 _CRASH_

With an almighty splintering and shattering, the canyon behind them fell in on itself completely, burying their only exit under tonnes of debris. The kids were stopped in their tracks, trapped inside the great pail of rock, with their three friends, and one, terrifying senior administrator who wanted them dead.

Khrysomamon turned, standing tall on the outcrop. "Forget Phorusrhamon! Just get everyone out of here!"

Osteomon wasted no time; with an immense roar she rushed at the rock wall, opening her arms wide and preparing to bulldoze it away.

Jiminymon started. "Wait! It's a trap! I know who-"

The others soon found out who, as a vast green claw sprouted from the ground, right into Osteomon's pathway. The sea-monster's momentum outweighed her self-preservation, and in an instant she found herself plucked up like a ragdoll and thrown against the wall.

"JOEL!"

The giant shimmered, and dissolved, splitting into two very disorientated, and far smaller, beings. George rushed for the D-Port, but the ground beneath him gave way and the device slid out of his reach.

"No!"

Procoptomon looked over and saw the boy in peril. She prepared to jump, as yet another green claw emerged behind her, digging into the ground and pulling out a great, scaled head, with a bright red blade mounted at the front of his snout.

"The device-"

The kangaroo gasped, and stopped in her tracks, suddenly aware of the huge silver blade sticking out of her thigh. She looked up at Phorusrhamon, who had just let another feather fly. The terror bird had played her cards close to her chest. Whilst perfectly capable in hand-to-hand, with a lethal and efficient style, she was even more so in her true prowess; long-range warfare.

" **Silent Sniper!** "

The second blade hit its target through the shoulder, and Procoptomon fell back, her body dissolving before she hit the ground, leaving Marsuamon and Rachel both unconscious.

Khrysomamon stood up on his vantage point, staring in aghast disbelief at the battlefield; where a few seconds ago they had been on top, now they were trapped in a collapsing arena with no possible escape. Fish in a barrel. All around, there was utter chaos. Mynahmon was trying desperately to fly, but couldn't decide on a direction and flew straight into a falling rock, which knocked her down instantly. Lucy's feet gave way, and she pulled Lizzie down with her, the both of them unable to stand on the rupturing ground. Alasdair and Wyvermon were fairing little better, and George, in his attempts to reach the D-Port, had blinded himself from the rising dust. And all of them were sliding, ever closer, towards the centre of the pail, which was dipping down, the rock weakening and cracking beneath, leading to god knows where.

The green beast behind all of this had raised himself up, and grinned down at the scene before him, his clawed wing-hands waving gently above it. "I'm glad you called me out, administrator; I was worrying that I wouldn't get to see them."

"Take a good look, Groundramon." The bird narrowed her gaze. "It's the last you'll see of them. The world is about to be saved."

Khrysomamon turned, and charged up the near sheer cliff face towards Phorusrhamon, his blade already primed. " _Let them go! Right now!"_

As he reached the bird, she stepped back, her gaze not on him, but behind him. "Oh look. Too late."

There was a monstrous crack, and the ram's gaze flicked to behind him. The ground had all but given way. The group was pinned together, unable to move, and with nowhere to run even if they could. He could hear the screaming from up here, and the sobbing, and the-

 _SNIKT_

The ram coughed, and dropped his sword. He could feel the cold steel of the blades going in at one shoulder, digging into his chest. Phorusrhamon simply stared at him, effortlessly holding him up.

"No more mercy."

He struggled, but the bird held him close, staring down her sharpened beak at him.

"Nobody disrespects Lord Dallurmon."

In a swift movement, visible to all below, she threw her wing wide and the sheep fell, rolling down the rocks and into the pit.

Alasdair yelled, holding out his free arm.

"YVONNE!"

The ram had disappeared when it reached them; only the girl and Arimon remained, both of them bleeding profusely. The ground shifted again, and Phorusrhamon turned to Groundramon, who was smirking. "Impressive as always."

The bird seemed unappreciative of his snarky compliment.

"Bury them all."

" **Giga Crack!** "

Groundramon reared up, much to the horror and awe of everyone below, and the pistons on its arms pulled back, straining with potential energy. As it fell, he brought not only them down, but his huge claws as well, all of them striking the rock at the same time.

The effect was instantaneous. The rock descended. It tumbled inwards, and the outer walls crumbled inwards as well, as smoothly and finally as water descending down a plughole. It carried on for several minutes, with the dragon effortlessly digging against the flow, pulling himself up and out. As the rumbling and the destruction finally ceased, he turned, shook himself off, and admired his handiwork. A large chunk of the canyon was now residing in a sizeable hole in the ground, no sign of life anywhere to be seen.

The dragon became aware of Phorusrhamon landing beside him, and chuckled. "Think that'll do the trick?"

The bird's wing reached up, and brushed against her chest, where the scorched wound from the earlier fight had remained.

"I hope so."

* * *

 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	7. Episode 7: Under the Rubble

_**Digimon Inferno: Playing with Matches**_

 _ **Episode 7: Under the Rubble**_

* * *

One moment, George found himself staring down a killer avalanche of rock. His life rushed before his eyes, and he clung tightly to anything he could, closing his eyes and awaiting the end.

The rock shifted. He felt the sensation of falling, the rumbling rocks still loud and devastating in his ears. He opened his eyes, but saw nothing. Only darkness, although he was faintly aware of other figures falling alongside him. The space was cold. Forbidding.

He closed his eyes again, and suddenly he was no longer falling, having landed on his back in a less-than-gentle manner. He groaned, and opened his eyes again. There was still very little light, but he could make out a couple of things. He was in a tunnel of some kind; rough, rocky walls, smothered with some sort of green algae which was letting off a faint bioluminescent glow. Here and there were bones and pieces of armour. Not the most inviting of places.

Behind him he could hear more groaning, and he turned to see the others, all spread out down the tunnel. Some of them were pushing themselves upwards. Others lay still. The boy closed his eyes, trying to remember what he had seen. Who had been hurt the worst?

There was a screech, and he looked again to see Lizzie sitting bolt upright, shuffling backwards as another figure walked into view. It was large, and illuminated the room by its very presence, due to two green flames emanating from both of its shoulders. It looked like a large wolf, with jet-black skin and long, sickle-like claws on its paws. Its tail was long and pointed, whipping back and forth like the tail of a lizard, and it had a mess of interlocking teeth in its blood-red jaws. George's eyes widened, and he looked around for any sign of the D-Port. Not that he knew what he was going to do with it.

" _Cerberumon_."

Lizzie and George watched as Chupamon walked forwards, nodding at the new arrival. The hellhound looked up, and for the first time George noticed the circles dotting the ceiling; pure-black rings that swirled and emitted the same cold emptiness he'd felt before. Cerberumon looked up, and his eyes flashed yellow. The portals closed just like that, leaving just the smooth rock surface.

"I wasn't expecting this many."

Chupamon shrugged apologetically. " _We've been rather hurried."_ He looked back. _"Some of us are in deep trouble. Can you help get us back?"_

The hellhound humphed, and looked among the others. "Those of you who can walk, help those of you who can't. Follow me."

George looked down at Lizzie, who was looking remarkably shaken. He reached down and helped her up, where she immediately ran towards Yvonne, who was lying worryingly still. Cerberumon looked up, and sniffed.

"I can see what you meant when you contacted me. I could smell Groundramon a mile off. We'll need to hurry."

* * *

Alasdair's first thought on opening his eyes was of the immense pain throbbing through his head. He sat up gingerly, rubbing his scalp through his hair, and became slowly aware of voices. He was somewhere dark, although there were patches of eerie blue and green light, as if he was in some deep, underwater cavern.

He soon realised that he wasn't far off. He was certainly underground, seemingly far from the arid canyon where they'd all been moments before. He turned, and saw a group huddled around the other side of the room. He went to call out, but one of them, George, turned towards him and waved. "Ah, we've got another member."

The others turned. Alasdair recognised Lizzie, a very disgruntled Joel, Chupamon and Mynahmon. The others were completely alien; what looked like a huge armoured hellhound, a red-ochre demon wielding a permanent scowl and a wicked-looking club, a small, ethereal-looking tapir, and several others. All of them looked immensely lethal and far less welcoming than even the charming fellows at the village had been. Standing up front were two larger Digimon, who seemed to be the leaders of the group.

Alasdair yelped, and half-fell out of his makeshift bed, banging his head on the rock and causing the pain to flare up again. George hurried over and helped him up, walking him over to where they were.

"Where...where are...the canyon...the canyon! Where is everyone? Yvonne!"

Lizzie tensed, and held one sleeve. "It's been a day since then. They're still out."

"Out?"

"Unconscious."

"Oh my god...what...what happened?"

Chupamon tapped his knee and put a finger to his lips. " _It's going to be fine. They're going to be fine. My family are doing everything they can._ "

Alasdair bristled, and looked up at the motley group of hellish creatures before him. "Your...family?"

Chupamon took in his breath. " _I'm glad you woke up before Wyvermon. It would be nice if you could help me explain this to him."_

"How did we...get here..."

" _You followed me. I was planning on going this way to see them initially. You know, we have to hide out because of...all this..."_ He gestured at his own demonic body.

"So...these people are-"

 _"Nightmare Soldiers. Virus types. Like me."_ The demon gave a small smile beneath his mask. "Don't be frightened."

Alasdair held his breath, and looked properly upon the other two figures before him. Neither of them were a particularly pretty sight. One was hovering about three feet off the ground, crouched in what appeared to be a giant clay bowl. She was roughly humanoid, and very haggard, though didn't seem to be frail in the slightest. Her clothing appeared to be made entirely of bones, including a tiny ribcage as a hairnet and, rather disconcertingly, bracelets formed of what appeared to be teeth. The front of her withered hair drooped down over her eyes and her angular face, though they did little to cover up her impossibly sharp nose, which protruded like a crow's beak from between her locks. In her floating pot she held a huge bone like a bird's leg, one end with a clenched claw and the other broad and scuffed, like a club.

The other figure was far taller, and just as intimidating. He too was vaguely humanoid, but with six arms instead of two, sticking out in pairs around the three great rings making up his chest, which seemed to be something between muscle and rock. His legs were even weirder, sticking out from his pelvis in a manner akin to a spider, and as well as the great armoured head sticking out between his broad shoulders, there were two others as well protruding from the shoulders themselves, each with their own shoulder-pad (helmet? It was hard to tell). The whole being seemed not quite organic, put together like a huge Rubik's cube, and in fact when the creature shrugged his shoulders and spun his top set of arms around with an audible click, it made Alasdair jump. Still, the Digimon held out one red-raw hand.

"I'm Geryomon. This is Yagamon."

Alasdair didn't respond, his eyes darting between the two. Geryomon stiffened (more than usual) and pulled his hand back. "I see the infamy of our family extends to other worlds as well."

"No, I meant...I'm just surprised."

The boy kept one eye on the floating witch, who said and did nothing throughout the exchange. Geryomon sighed. "I suppose you aren't to blame, with all you've seen and heard up on the surface." The creature turned his head one-hundred and eighty degrees and nodded at the others devilish creatures, who quietly left the chamber, leaving only him and Yagamon. The witch tilted her head, and gingerly floated forwards, reaching out and placing a gaunt hand on Alasdair's shoulders. The boy's eyes widened, but she merely peered at him all over, her eyes hidden but her head moving around like a pigeon's. It was...odd, to say the least, but the more she did so, the less threatened Alasdair felt. Eventually she let go, and whispered something in Geryomon's nearest head's ear. The main head nodded. "You're still injured. You should rest."

"What...how did-"

"We can talk later. Yagamon must tend to your companions."

The two walked off without a word. Well, only Geryomon walked off, swivelling his whole body around smooth as you like. Yagamon just bobbed after him, using the great bird's leg like a paddle on a barge as she floated a few feet off the ground. Alasdair was left bewildered, and he turned to Chupamon. "Your parents are, um, nice."

 _"They're not my parents."_ The devil shrugged. _"We don't really have parents or...I don't know...blood family here. But they've looked after me for a long time. They look after all of us. I knew they lived beneath the canyon, so I sent them a message last night when I realised we were being followed."_ He bowed his head. _"I'm sorry for deceiving you."_

George put his hands in his pockets. "Don't be. I think you saved our lives."

"Did he?" Alasdair folded his arms, his head low. He tried to stand tall, but it was getting harder and harder as the reality of yesterday's events grew clearer in his mind. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Lucy, who was standing apart from the group, leaning against the wall. She looked uncharacteristically down.

Alasdair turned back to the others. "So we all made it? We're all alive?"

Lizzie nodded, but she still looked glum. "We did, but..."

"But what?"

The girl looked up, and swallowed. "We've lost the D-Port."

Alasdair was stunned into silence. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised, what with everything else, but even so he hadn't even twigged.

The D-Port – their only method of survival in this godforsaken world, and their only possible way back home – was gone.

* * *

As he walked through the underground halls – so small and yet so intensely lit they were practically neon – Chupamon couldn't help but feel some semblance of nostalgia. Every now and then he'd pass by off-cuts in the walls where shadowy figures would huddle together, or have a few impish-eyed In-Training levels bounce past his feet in a manner which he remembered doing himself a long time ago. The catacombs weren't exactly the most conventional of homes, but they were a home. He was definitely glad to be back.

He was acutely aware though that not every one of his companions was going to share his warm, fuzzy feelings.

He came to a stop, and looked to the left, at an entrance to another cave. This one was more familiar than most; he could recognise the webs of blue and green around the entrance anywhere. His old room. His old sanctuary.

Gingerly he stepped inside, and held his breath. It wasn't empty. Wyvermon was curled up on the far side, seeming smaller and colder than he had above ground. Chupamon took a step back, not wanting to get any closer.

"Nice place you have here."

The little devil ground his teeth, and turned back, his tail sweeping along the ground. " _I always thought the ceiling was a little askew. But yeah. It is."_

Wyvermon uncurled himself, and raised his head to look directly at Chupamon. Neither of them moved; they just sat at opposite ends of the room, staring at one another. Even in the dim light Chupamon's sharp vision was able to make out the dragon's face. He noticed the heavy skin under his eyes, and the deep, ingrained look of hurt, but he said nothing.

"No apology? No...nothing?"

Chupamon's skull was so white it was almost glowing; a sigyl of death hanging in the doorway. He clenched his claws. " _I have nothing to apologise for."_

A pause.

"I guess you don't."

 _"And neither do you."_

"Then who are we supposed to blame?" Wyvermon blinked, his eyes burning a vicious orange. "We could have died back there. Half of us almost did."

 _"Wyvermon, I swear, I didn't know about Dallurmon."_

"Who of us did?"

" _I never wanted anything to do with him in the first place, but I...I wanted to help the children. I wanted to help Lucy."_

"Lucy? Not the others?"

 _"You must have felt it too. With Alasdair. You know there's something more there."_ Chupamon rolled his fingers. " _I'll be honest, I don't like many of you guys. But I can't abandon her. I can't explain it."_

Wyvermon looked away. "You don't need to." He sighed. "Maybe Dallurmon's right. Maybe their being here is bad for everyone. Bad for all of us. They're changing us and they don't even know it."

 _"Are you going to say that to Alasdair's face?"_

Wyvermon chuckled. "I still need to get him home. If nothing else, I still have my pride."

Chupamon rolled his eyes. _"It must be easy for you."_

"How so?"

 _"To be so dedicated to your pride that you don't need to think about anything else."_

"Screw you too."

Chupamon shrugged. " _Hey, I thought we'd established we didn't like each other."_

"We don't. You're an arsehole, you're rude, insensitive, and I don't know if anyone else has brought this up but I find you really, _really_ creepy."

 _"There we go."_

The demon turned and walked away. Wyvermon grinned. "What? No come-back, devil?"

 _"Don't need one."_ Chupamon stopped, and stared back with one pale eye. _"First rule of being somebody like me; most people are going to hate you and they won't even bother to think of a reason. Grow a thicker skin and you save yourself a lot of heartache"_

Though it was impossible to see in the darkness, he smirked, and sashayed off before Wyvermon could retort.

* * *

Alasdair sat with his head in his hands, feeling the oppressive darkness around him, when he heard faint footsteps walking up to him. He'd thought he was alone. He'd tried. Tried so hard to think of a solution. Anything they could do. But without the D-Port, any move they made was all but useless. In the end, everyone else had departed. Honestly, nobody felt particularly motivated.

The boy glanced up from his hunched position, and saw Lucy staring down at him, her mass of curled hair lying to one side and her thumbnail in her mouth.

"Oh. It's you."

The girl nodded. Alasdair put his head back in his lap, ignoring her as she knelt down next to him. He said nothing, but after a few minutes of silence she broke the ice.

"Are we looking for it?"

"What? The D-Port?" Alasdair shook his head. "No point. It's probably broken by now."

"Maybe not."

"Don't be-"

Lucy pointed out to the caves. "It'll be-"

"What the _hell_ do you know where it is? You don't know anything!"

Lucy slowly lowered her hand, instead bringing them together in front of her. Alasdair glared up at her. "I don't think you even know what we're doing here. All the bloody time you're running off and doing your own thing, not caring about our safety or even your own. You're nothing but dead weight."

Lucy blinked. "I'm sorry."

"Whatever. You're wasting my time."

He folded his arms and looked the other way, ignoring the girl in front of him. Already he was feeling the regret, but his head pushed the thoughts right down to the bottom. There was no room in there for empathy right now.

After a few moments he noticed that Lucy was still kneeling next to him, fumbling around in the darkness. Her hand placed something small by his feet, and Lucy stood up, closing her bag. "They're nice."

She wandered off, back into the catacombs. His eyes closed again, but eventually they drifted downwards out of pure curiosity. He fumbled on the ground and picked up something small and round, wrapped in paper. A toffee. He stared at it, and turned it round. On the paper there was a smiley face, and a word, scrawled in horrendous handwriting. A single word.

 _Sorry._

Alasdair ran his fingers through his hair.

"What the hell is wrong with me?"

He popped the confectionary in his mouth, and began to think.

* * *

"It's quite something isn't it?"

Mynahmon hopped shoulders as Lizzie leaned over her friend, keeping a watchful eye on Yvonne as she lay flat out, still unconscious, as well as half an eye on Yagamon, who was busily paddling between her and several other patients. In truth, she'd done a marvellous job. Marsuamon and Rachel had already woken up once, and Placomon was very nearly fit and healthy, although she was currently snoring in the corner. Yvonne and Arimon needed a little more work though. A lot more. Lizzie had seen the stab wound in her friend's shoulder, and had very nearly fainted.

Yagamon looked at Mynahmon and clicked her fingers, pointing at the bird's plumage. Mynahmon beamed. "Sure! Anything! Hey Lizzie, watch this!"

She plucked out one of her shorter flight feathers and held it out towards the witch, who immediately set about fumbling inside her mortar and pulling out trinket after trinket, like a child with a toolbox. Lizzie had to admit the process was quite mesmerising, as Yagamon took the feather, a couple of stones, a piece of Arimon's wool (the sheep had been unable to complain at its removal) and a handful of some foul-smelling mould which emitted data like paint fumes. The witch brought the ingredients in her hands together, and clasped them tightly, the action letting off a small bang. When she opened her hands again, it was to release a series of crystals that fell to the bottom of the mortar. Yagamon sighed, and leapt up, her clawed toes clutching the rim of her vessel and her gnarled hands holding her pestle up high. With a huff she brought it down once, twice; three times was enough to cause whatever was down there to ignite into purple flames, then blue, then suddenly go out.

Lizzie stepped back as Yagamon barged in, scooping out the substance from the bottom of her mortar; it now resembled a fine powder, so fine it was almost liquid. As she went about applying it to Yvonne's forehead, sternum and around her wound, Lizzie couldn't help but peek over the lip of the witch's mortar, curious as to what was inside. The bottom seemed to be liquid, which shimmered and spat at her face. The girl wasn't completely sure what she'd been expecting.

"Psst."

Lizzie jumped and looked up at Mynahmon, who gestured frantically. "You've been spotted."

Lizzie backed away, aware of Yagamon's long nose pointed in her direction. The witch sniffed, and pulled the rim of her mortar up indignantly.

"Sorry. I was just curious." Lizzie removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes. "My father's a doctor. He tells me a lot about what he does, but it's nothing like what you do." She bit her lip. "I loved what he did. Saving people. I wanted to be a doctor myself but this is...beyond me..." She shuddered, not finishing her sentence.

The witch, silent as ever, simply carried on treating Yvonne. The powder was dissolving in, healing skin and flesh as it did so. The girl let out a more ragged breath, then relaxed, falling back into a deep sleep. Mynahmon hopped beside her. "She looks peaceful."

"Most people do, when they're like this. At least, far more peaceful than she usually is." Lizzie smiled. "She'd have loved being a hero like that. It's only right."

Mynahmon blinked. "I'm sure she can tell us all about it."

"I hope so." Lizzie looked up at Yagamon, who had finished her treatment, and was brushing the residue off her hands. "She will be okay, won't she?"

The witch stopped, and looked up at Lizzie again. She tilted her head, and stayed still for an uncomfortably long time. Lizzie felt pressured to say something, so she said something on her mind. "I said some nasty things to her. I never take her seriously, but she saved my life." Her hands went to her skirt, closing around it as she stared down. "I'm so useless...so useless here...I can't even do anything when my best friend's about to die..."

Mynahmon looked on helplessly as Lizzie's shoulders began to shake and she began to sob; great fat tears rolling down her cheeks. The bird was about to hop over, but Yagamon beat her to it. For a moment she seemed as if she was going to put her arms around the crying girl. But instead she leaned forwards, pulling back one side of her long hair. Mynahmon didn't catch a glimpse of the witch's eye, only uncovered as it was for a second. Yagamon reached out and curled one hand over Lizzie's forehead, causing her to stop crying out of confusion and, oddly enough, comfort. The witch held her palm there for a few awkward seconds. Then she pulled it away, and shook her head.

Lizzie sniffed, removed her glasses and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm going off again."

Yagamon's hand went to her mortar, and she fished around, before pulling out a couple of the small, turquoise crystals. She gestured at Lizzie's palms, and when the girl opened them out, dropped them in, closing her hands afterwards. Lizzie blinked. "But...what for? Who for?"

Yagamon reached a single finger out, and tapped it first against Lizzie's chest, then against the side of her nose, once, twice. Then she reached for her pestle and paddled away, not even giving the girl a chance to respond. She just stared at the crystals in her hands, with Mynahmon hopping up onto her shoulder for a better look.

"Sweet! Witch gunk!"

* * *

It was some time later. Nobody knew quite when it was, but it had been sufficient time for a few of the injured to have joined them. Alasdair looked around the motley crew around him, which was still looking distinctly sparse. Marsuamon had now pretty much recovered fully (if still distinctly pissed off), and Joel had finally convinced Placomon to join the 'productive' members of the group. Along with George, Chupamon, Neonamon, Lizzie and Mynahmon, Wyvermon and himself, that made nine. Nine out of fourteen wasn't the perfect number for a group meeting, but it was at least a start.

Less productive was the ever-growing realisation that none of them actually knew either where they were, or where the D-Port was. Alasdair was feeling somewhat relieved that Rachel had yet to recover; he couldn't bear to think how hard she'd be taking this.

George was being unhelpfully blunt about the whole affair. "Surely it will have been broken by now."

Lizzie swallowed, and looked at the ground. "Maybe someone can fix it."

"Someone? Who?"

The girl clenched her fists. "If no-one does, then we're stuck here and we're probably going to die."

"Sorry."

"Please, don't start pointing fingers." Alasdair sighed. "We don't know for sure."

George looked up at the other boy. "You've used it to evolve, you and Wyvermon. Can't you track it in some way?"

The dragon looked up at his partner, shaking his head. "I haven't felt anything in particular."

Neonamon bit his lower lip, looking between all the solemn faces. "Maybe you don't really need it to pass through the wall between worlds."

"We needed it to get here in the first place."

"The wall is a physical thing here, deep within Dallurmon's keep. If you're able to reach it, you may even be able to press through it with some help."

Chupamon raised an eyebrow beneath his skull mask. _"And who do you expect is going to help in that regard, brainiac? Dallurmon? He probably has other priorities, like our imminent deaths."_

The snake went blank. Everyone went even blanker. Alasdair groaned, leaning back against the wall. "Let's face it. Without that device we've got no hope." He glanced amongst the others, counting in his head. "Where on earth is Lucy? Has anyone seen her?"

Everybody shook her head, with the exception of Joel and Placomon, who looked at one another. "She was walking the other way when I last saw her."

"The other way?"

Joel pointed. "Back that way. Into the caves where they found us." He rummaged in his pocket, and pulled out a paper wrapper. "She left me a sweetie. Didn't say anything though."

Marsuamon looked concernedly at Chupamon, who scratched beneath his chin. " _That's awfully close to the edge of the catacombs. Our catacombs. There used to be dangerous creatures beyond there."_

"There still are." Neonamon tilted his head, staring off into the darkness of the caves. "I had a talk with Geryomon; he said there are Nightmare Soldiers around who still do their own thing."

Lizzie rubbed her forehead. "What the heck was she doing all the way out there? Is she dense or something; why is she always running off like that?"

Alasdair bit his lip. "She wouldn't run off that far. Not unless..." His eyes widened, and he sat up straight. "Don't tell me...I've done it again..."

"What?" George looked at Alasdair. "What have you done?"

"I...might have shouted at her a bit. I said a few things...she wanted to know what we were..." The boy closed his eyes, and buried his head in his arms. "Of course. She's gone off to..."

Chupamon leaned forwards, tilting his head. " _Do what? Where's Lucy?_ "

"She must have gone off to find the D-Port." Alasdair looked up. "Gone off into the catacombs."

Chupamon didn't hesitate; he leapt from the circle, sprinting for the exit in great bounds. Wyvermon and Marsuamon rushed in his direction, but he turned in an instant, holding out one clawed hand.

 _"She may be okay. I know these caves; I can find her."_

Wyvermon grunted, but Marsuamon put a hand out. "Chupamon, you know Dallurmon's people are still after us. And the other things that are out there. It's not safe."

 _"It's my fault you're all down here to start with."_ Chupamon turned away, his skull flashing fluorescently in the darkness. " _Keep the others safe. I'm going to bring her back."_

In a flash of red and purple he bounded away, disappearing into the shadows.

* * *

Lucy had managed to cover some considerable distance in the past half an hour, though in which direction she didn't know. She had a vague recollection of coming back this way before, but once you've seen one rainbow-glow wall pattern you've pretty much seen them all. She made her way carefully down the passage, keeping one hand on the wall at all times. Her bag swung freely beside her, all the trinkets within rustling around.

The tunnel split, just up ahead. Not that she noticed in time; blinded by the new batch of algae she walked right into it, stumbled, and fell backwards with an oddly muffled yelp. Lucy sat up, shaking her head and humming in an annoyed fashion. She often hummed to herself whenever things were going like this. It was easier than trying to find the words sometimes. And the sound of her own voice was somewhat of a comfort in these lone areas.

She stood herself up, kicked stones from her shoes, and looked back. The tunnel behind her was bright and inviting. For a moment she considered going back, giving this up as a lost cause. The others would forgive her. They'd know she tried. They would be fine.

"It's not fine."

The girl sniffed, and turned back, picking a path at random. The ground here was rougher, and she moved more cautiously, taking care not to fall.

"I'm not stupid." Lucy swallowed. "I'm not...dead weight."

She ran the words around her mouth, repeating them under her breath. They still seemed so unfamiliar, like much of the English she had to speak. She picked up her humming again, trying to distract from the stubborn thoughts going round her head.

The path dipped suddenly, and she went flying forwards again, crashing into the wall. This time she sat, her eyes bunched up tightly as she screamed under her breath.

"It's not fine! I'm not dead weight!"

Her voice carried in the tunnel, and she slowly opened her eyes, listening to it fade. But it didn't fade completely. She frowned, sticking her thumbnail in her mouth as she turned and looked further down the tunnel. There were other sounds here; in fact, other people. She squinted in the low light, and through the pinks and greens of the algae she thought she could see something flickering. Gingerly she stood up, and, keeping her back against the wall, she edged forwards, until more of the flickering light came into view.

It was a fire. That much she had guessed. Not a large one, but with a bright blue flame, enough to illuminate what appeared to be the source of the algae (or at least some of it) hanging down from the ceiling in great bulbous blobs, occasionally dripping luminous material on the ground below. The blobs seemed to seep into the cracks, leaving faint trails behind the rock; rock that was shiny and smooth, much like glass or flint.

There were creatures in the cavern. Digimon, she guessed. Three of them; all moving around the fire in a...peculiar way. She sucked in her gut, and tried to peer around just a little bit more. One of them was illuminated in the fire, and she had to stop herself from gasping.

It looked, for all intents and purposes, like an oversized teddy bear, albeit one that had received a makeover from an edgy grunge kid. Its skin was a patchwork; half smooth and rubbery, and half course and leathery, with red stitching holding the two halves together. Jagged spikes protruded from random areas of its limbs, and at the end of its muzzle there was a hose, which twisted down a short way before reattaching to its chest, straight into a crudely marked pink heart. It had no eyes, only two enormous staples where each one should have been, crossed over one another as if the creature were supposed to be dead. Maybe it was. It certainly didn't look alive as it hobbled around the fire, swaying from side to side.

There were giggles and jeers from one side, and the other two leapt after their friend, pushing and poking him and laughing all the while. The middle one tilted its head way too far to one side, and let off a sound like a foghorn, or like the air being forcibly removed from whatever ghastly things it kept inside its chest.

" _Make it glow. Make it glow again, we says."_

 _"You promised! You promised!"_

The middle Porcupamon, for that's what they all were, took a massive step, and within seconds was the other side of the room. From her hiding spot, Lucy held her breath. These things were deceptively fast when they wanted to be.

 _"It needs something, yes it does. Something else. It doesn't listen."_

The Porcupamon reached down, then jumped back as if stung by a wasp. It began to giggle, and shuffled forwards, rubbing its hands(?) together.

 _"It listens! It glows!"_

The other two stayed back, lolling from side to side, as their friend reached into to corner of the room and pulled something away. Lucy stepped back, and allowed herself a few breaths. She'd recognise that glow anywhere. The D-Port was here.

Her initial joy was curbed somewhat by the sounds of the three Porcupamon squabbling amongst themselves; she may have located the device, but it was currently in the hands of three creatures that, she guessed, would be less than willing to hand it over.

She peered out again, trying to think. The puppets were lurching around the device, kicking and scratching at it, or trying to scoop up the weird pink light which was hovering around the screen. Pink. That was a new one.

Presently one of them stood up, and they all fell deathly silent. The rightmost one turned around, and sniffed the air. Lucy just stared. She didn't dare make a move.

 _"It didn't glow, and yet it glows. Something was missing, and now it's not missing."_

The leftmost one nodded slowly. _"So something is here that makes it glow."_

 _"Something is here..."_ The central Porcupamon's head moved slowly from side to side. _"Someone sees. Someone knows. Someone..."_

All three of their heads snapped in the same direction all at the same time, and Lucy knew her time was up.

 _"IT SEES!"_

 _"IT KNOWS!"_

 _"WE MUST HAVE IT! HAVE IT NOW! HAVE IT HERE!"_

The girl turned and ran, but she stumbled, her feet scrabbling on the loose rock. Something curled around her right arm, then her left, and there was a rushing sound and the sound of maniacal laughter, and she was out in the open, the fire bright against her face. The two Porcupamon who had grabbed her let her go, and she swayed, dizzy from the rush. The puppets sat down, and tilted their heads in unison, staring at the girl as she clutched her bag nervously.

 _"What is it?"_

 _"Digimon? But it makes the glow."_

 _"So different..."_ The leftmost one (she couldn't be sure if it was the same one as before) shivered. _"So wonderful."_

Lucy swallowed, and pointed behind them. "That's...mine."

 _"It says it knows. It does know! It does!"_

 _"But why doesn't it have it? We have it. It doesn't have it."_ The rightmost one lowered its head, and growled. _"Thieves. Thieves here. It could be a stealer. A liar."_

"I dropped it."

 _"And we finds it."_

A quick shuffle, and all the Porcupamon were on their feet again, all gathered around the device.

 _"We finds it. You shows it. Make it glow."_

Lucy gingerly tiptoed forwards, aware of the three gremlins looking at her. "Why?"

 _"Why it says?"_

"Why make it glow?" She looked between them, not sure whether she was trying to stall them or just genuinely curious. "What does it do?"

A growl from the three of them. " _It says it's hers, but she doesn't know. She lies."_

 _"But it glows."_ The central one looked up at her. _"It glows and makes us happy. Makes us feel strong."_

The three took a step back, and Lucy knelt down, finally getting a good look at the device. It didn't look good, having clearly taken a battering from the fall. Two of the panels were loose. One wire was missing, and a few of the meters had stopped moving. But the glow was constant; a fluffy, pink energy that swirled back and forth when she moved her finger in front of the screen.

Lucy blinked, ever more fascinated by the device. All around her, the three Porcupamon jumped up and down, clapping. _"It glows! It glows! Give us the glow!"_

One of them stuck its hand forwards, but the pink vanished, leaving just the black screen. The Porcupamon looked at its hand, then at the other two, then up at Lucy. _"Give it to us. Give us the glow."_

"I don't..."

 _"She steals it. She wants it._

" _But we finds it."_

" _We has it! Give us the glow!"_

"I don't have it!"

 _"LIAR!"_

 _"THIEF!"_

Lucy jumped up, but the moment she turned there was a Porcupamon in front of her. It raised its right arm, and razor-blades stuck out at odd angles, glinting in the firelight.

 _"SHE HAS IT."_

 _"FIND IT!"_

Lucy bent down, pulling a stick from the fire and holding it out in front of her. "Get away!"

She noticed a movement behind her and swung backwards, but the makeshift weapon was batted from her grasp, and cold, rough metal lashed over her knuckles. She screamed, and backed up, holding her injured hand as the three gremlins swayed in front of her, each of them looking far more spiky than before.

 _"Open her!_

" _Find the glow!"_

" _ **Madness Broach!**_ _"_

" _ **Crimson Spikes!**_ _"_

A wall of red spines erupted from the ground in between the girl and the puppets, some of them impaling the legs of her attackers. They didn't seem too put out; in fact, they didn't seem to feel the pain at all. But all of a sudden they were on edge, staring around with their razors extended.

 _"We're seen! Who sees?"_

Lucy felt herself breaking out into a smile. Even in the low light, she could recognise the skull mask as it stepped out of the shadows.

"Chupamon!"

The demon growled at the puppets. " _Kindly leave my friend alone."_

 _"MORE THIEVES!_ _ **MADNESS BROACH!**_ _"_

Chupamon leapt back, but he could only dodge the attack from one puppet at a time. The other slashed him at the elbow, and he scarpered backwards, climbing up the rock wall and leaping down from above, biting and ripping. Another puppet rushed behind him, both claws extended, but Chupamon turned at once, his mask glowing.

 _"_ _ **Odious Dread!**_ _"_

The Porcupamon stopped. It swayed, and stumbled. Then it shook its head, and carried on advancing.

 _"Mind games don't work. You can't scare us."_

Chupamon hissed, and rolled, the puppet bringing its razor down on its companion, who batted it away.

" _Get it! Get it now! Open it up!"_

The chupacabra glanced over towards Lucy before it was bombarded again, this time by all three of the Champion levels. _"Run! Get out of here, now!"_

"Chupamon!" Lucy pointed. "The D-Port! They have it."

Chupamon managed to glance in the direction of her hand, seeing the device nested in the rock. " _Would you look at that?"_

" _ **Madness Broach!**_ _"_

The chupacabra cursed, and tried as best as he could to roll away, summoning spikes all around. But he had three opponents, and they were all stronger than him, and far nastier. He shot another glance at Lucy from within the skirmish, and grinned beneath his mask.

" _You did good. Go...tell the others..."_

The girl stared, as Chupamon was swallowed by a flurry of sharpened claws and maniacal cackling. She closed her eyes, and shook her head.

"No. Not now. Not...I'm going..."

She began to run, but not towards the exit. The three demons were occupied. She had a free shot. She sprinted across the cavern, straight towards the D-Port, praying internally that she wouldn't fall. Not this time. She'd reached it before she knew it, skidding on her knees as she fumbled with the strap, but she could already hear worrying sounds from behind her.

" _The thief! The thief!"_

" _It'll take the glow!"_

" _Take it from her! Open her! Take the glow back!"_

Lucy looked over her shoulder, and shrieked; Chupamon had managed to keep hold of one of the puppets, but the other two were right behind her, their razors unleashed. She jumped to her feet, her fingers tightening around the strap.

"This...isn't...YOURS!"

As a blade scraped over her hip, she yanked the device up and away from its nest, trailing wires and losing bolts, but still very much in one piece. She backed up, holding it close to her chest as the puppets whispered in front of her, unwilling to risk damaging the device even in their frenzied state. Lucy looked up at Chupamon, who was still holding firmly to one of the Porcupamon, despite many obvious scratches and gouges over his body.

The nearest Porcupamon to her hissed, and jumped forwards, more and more razors appearing from its body. " _Give it baaaaack."_

"No!"

" _We wants it. We finds it."_

"It's not yours. It's ours. We're going home."

Lucy felt a warm energy on her torso, and looked down to see the same pink glow lighting up within the screen once again. It fizzed, and swelled, pushing itself out through the glass and hovering near her hands. The two Porcupamon stopped, transfixed. One of them began to reach out, a growl in its throat. The girl stepped back, and stared at Chupamon. Tired as he was, he nodded.

" _Do it."_

Before the Porcupamon could take it, Lucy's hand closed around the pink energy, and within seconds, she was gone. The device clattered to the ground, and the two Porcupamon shrieked.

" _WHERE IS IT?"_

" _SHE STEALS IT!"_

" _Wrong."_ Chupamon wrested his assailant away, and rolled onto his front, looking above him at the trail of pink energy slithering down from above. _"She's right there."_

Before any of them could reach him or even make a move, he was swallowed up by the energy, and he too disappeared.

* * *

 _"You dense or something?"_

 _"God, you're stupid."_

 _"Don't mind her; she's not right in the head."_

 _"I'm sorry to say your daughter is abnormal."_

 _Everyone else was fuzzy. Everyone else was in their own world. The proper world. The world where everyone understood each other just fine. Where everyone knew the right words. But she couldn't hear them. Couldn't understand._

 _Only a few words. A few sentences, here and there. Each one like a dagger to the chest._

 _Her hand went to her bag, but it wasn't there. No distractions. No escape. No comfort. She took a breath. Brought her hand up to her mouth, but her fingernails were rough and bloodied. Slowly she sunk down, as the noise grew more and more intrusive. She crouched, her hands over her head, trying desperately to block it out._

 _"Spaz."_

" _Weirdo."_

 _the noise._

 _"Useless."_

 _"Freak."_

 _the noise the noise the noise the neverending, biting noise all around and worming its way inside and_

" _Hey..."_

 _A hand. Curling around her shoulder; not too tight, so as not to hurt her. She unfurled, looking over her shoulder._

" _You too, huh?"_

 _The hand reached up, and ever so gently wiped away the tear in her eye. Then it ran down her arm, and clasped her hand. Chupamon smiled next to her._

" _I'm here with you, Lucy."_

* * *

" _Chupamon, Soul Interlock!"_

" _Evolution Activate!"_

The Porcupamon heard the words, and they looked left and right, hissing and lashing out at nothing. But the evolution was different to previous times. The occasional pink bolt of energy, darting out of sight. A limb protruding from nowhere, extending, growing more joints, then disappearing into the shadows. The glimpse of a mask that morphed into something terrifying, or pink and green markings over the walls, or something scuttling away like some massive bug.

" _We sees them!"_

One of the Porcupamon pointed at a mound in the centre of the cavern, where the pink energy was finally dissipating. It seemed like a haystack at first, albeit purple with green markings all over it, and long red spines flexing as it breathed. Then the creature unfurled. Revealing huge spider-like limbs with grasping fingers like a monkey's. Two...four...no, five. A tail swooped left and right, it too ending in a clawed hand. At the boundary between leg and body were gaping skulls of some ferocious animal, and as the creature turned around the Porcupamon saw that Chupamon's skull mask had morphed into that of a serpent's. Though much more of his true face was now visible, it was still alien; furred, and yet distinctly reptilian, with four red horns curving out from the back and two snake-like eyes, acid-green and perfectly circular, and staring unnervingly at the three gremlins. Despite their own appearance, they stepped back. That was the gaze of a hunter, and suddenly they felt far less confident about their own position.

 _"Ahuizomon!"_

In a flash of red and purple the creature vanished, seeming to melt into the very rock of the cavern floor. One of the Porcupamon leapt forwards, its arms covered with serrated blades.

 _"WHERE IS IT? OPEN IT!"_

There was the sound of a sigh, and a deep, Latin drawl echoed around the cavern.

 _"You have no purpose here, nor power. But you have your lives. Should you wish to retain them I would suggest you run."_

The larger puppet glanced at its companions, and pointed at the D-Port. _"We can takes it. It is ours. We finds it."_

The others looked uncertainly amongst themselves, but they edged forwards, grasping the device and hoisting it up between them.

 _"Stop."_

The larger Porcupamon hissed, staring around the cavern. _"We keeps it! And if we finds you, we keeps you!"_ It yelled and threw a swipe at nothing. _"Show yourselves!"_

 _"You're not looking in the right direction."_

 _"Who says?"_

" _Look up, look around. And last of all, look down."_

The nightmare toy did so. The ground seemed to be moving; a strange black ink shifting all around and sketching out symbols and spirals, which now covered the entirety of the cave floor. The lines touched in the middle, and somewhere out there, something held its breath.

 _"Too late._ _ **Abominable Snare!**_ _"_

The Porcupamon tried to jump, or to run, but its legs and lower body were held fast by the rock as it gradually sunk. It hissed, and sliced at the ground, taking out chunk by chunk which just melted away in its grasp.

 _"We will KILL you! We will KILL YOOOU!"_

" _I'd watch your threats there."_

Arms sprung out from the sinking rock; the same long, spider-like arms that Ahuizomon had wielded. They latched themselves onto the largest Porcupamon, even as it kept swinging, and tore great gouges from its body. And they held fast, and began to pull.

" _Nobody will ever know you were here."_

The Porcupamon screamed, and it was pulled under. The other two watched, unable to do a thing, as the sigyl shifted back and forth on the ground. Suddenly there was a distant screech of pain, and the snare glowed a deep, blood red, before dissipating, forming Ahuizomon's corporeal form once again. He cracked his neck left and right, and turned to the others.

 _"I warned you."_

 _"MURDERER!"_

 _"_ _ **MADNESS BROACH!**_ _"_

The two dropped the D-Port and rushed forwards, all sense of reason gone from their minds. They moved quickly and efficiently, flashing at the furred devil before them, but it was like trying to attack an octopus, for with every hit they made, two or three other limbs came round and sliced them across the face or chest. One attack severed the hose on one of them, leaving it crawling gasping on the ground.

 _"GIVE IT BAAAACK!"_

Ahuizomon's eyes flashed, and he crouched his body close, before springing to one side. Then again. Faster and faster, he began to circle his two opponents, the spines on his back glowing brightly and rising up.

 _"_ _ **Spiral Requiem!**_ _"_

Ahuizomon's body became a blur as he seemed to travel like a liquid vortex around the two Porcupamon. One of them tried to leap out the way, but was caught by the swirling spins and sucked back inside. They clung to one another, and ever so slowly, the vortex began to shrink, the red spines getting closer and closer, beginning to tear away at their bodies like a saw, stripping away ribbon after ribbon of data and-

In a minute or so, the vortex dissolved, and Ahuizomon was alone. He caught his breath for a minute, looking left and right and trying to catch his bearings. He only needed a moment; once he was ready he walked casually over to the D-Port and, taking care not to damage it further, picked it up in his mouth and held it close.

Without a word, he left, scuttling silently back down the tunnels, and leaving the cavern practically empty. There was only a small pile of fine, silvery dust to mark that anybody was ever there, and even that was dissolving.

* * *

Rachel straightened up, and grimaced, holding one hand to her thigh. Kneeling on the ground wasn't really doing anything to help the pain, although thanks to Yagamon's help - and, she suspected, a bit of help from the world itself - both she and Marsuamon had practically healed up. In fact Yagamon had seemed quite insistent she stay immobile for another day or so, but once the news had reached the girl that the D-Port had been found, there really was going to be no stopping her.

She looked up at George, who had his hands in his pockets. "How is it?"

"Well it works." Rachel's left hand held her right arm awkwardly, and she looked down at the beaten device. "Though I don't know how long it'll work for."

"It's better than nothing."

"Mm-hmm."

George leant back against the wall, and glanced over towards the main group, who were all huddled together. Even Lucy was with them, seeming to be listening intently, a barely hidden smile on her face. He had to admit, he'd been kind of shocked when they'd all been approached by a giant-purple-people-eater holding _the key to evolution_ , but Chupamon had soon explained what had happened. Somewhat. He'd mentioned some troublemakers, but when Alasdair had enquired what had happened to them, the little demon became somewhat restrained.

 _"It's probably best you don't know. I am a Nightmare Soldier after all."_

Alasdair had decided not to pry. It was good to have the D-Port back, though Rachel had been somewhat miffed with the water demon carrying her precious device back in his mouth.

"You'd better not have left any tooth marks in this!"

George chuckled to himself, and wandered over to the main group, leaving Rachel alone with the device. All in all things had gone better than expected. Everybody had healed up. Yvonne had caught up with a rather emotional Lizzie, Marsuamon, Wyvermon and Arimon had congratulated Chupamon on his newfound power (of which they were only slightly wary), and a humbled Alasdair had pulled Lucy to one side and thanked her profusely. Not that she'd seemed bothered in the slightest. She'd even had more toffees to hand out in celebration, although most of them were a little tough at this point.

Only Jiminymon was missing. She still hadn't come out of her room.

George smiled at Yvonne as he sat down, "So what do we do now?"

"The statue and Miss Bones seemed okay with us staying here." Yvonne shrugged. "We are on the run, and it's a safe place. But I don't know...maybe just as long as it takes us to come up with a plan?"

Alasdair leant over, his face grave. "I don't know if we can get the D-Port to last that long. If we stop using it or it breaks, we could never get back."

"Well, aren't you a little ray of sunshine."

George shrugged. "He has a point. Even with the D-Port, we have the little problem of Dallurmon hating us all. I doubt it's a viable option to get him to just let us through the wall between worlds."

"But we do at least know there _is_ a wall between worlds. And where it is."

Neonamon slithered up with a grin, looking at each of them in turn. "If we can get you all to the keep and sneak you inside, maybe you won't need to ask him after all. You can go home, and nobody's any the wiser."

Yvonne gave a half-smile. "You're talking like it'll be that easy."

Joel piped up from the other side. "Why not? Five of us can evolve now. We're stronger now."

Beside him, Placomon raised an eyebrow. "You're very optimistic for us having nearly been squashed."

Joel grinned, and pulled the fish over towards him. "We can take him!"

She didn't look convinced. "We can? Now? Do we have to?"

Alasdair laughed, and leant back, looking at the motley group all around him. He had to admit, he felt good. Very good. Probably far better than he should. He stood up and cleared his throat, and everyone's attention turned to him.

"So things are probably gonna be a bit more difficult for us now. But thanks to Lucy, we have the D-Port back. And thanks to Dallurmon, we know where we need to go to get back. We might need to improvise, but I think we can do better next time they come for us. I know we can, 'cause we have each other, and we have a bunch of really brave, really strong little guys helping us out." He folded his arms. "Are you guys ready to go home?"

A small cheer erupted around the cave; perhaps not as strong as it could have been due to Lizzie's hesitation and Rachel's embarrassment, but still a good start. Right now, that was all they needed. The will to carry on. The will to get themselves home.

The actual plan would come in time.

Probably.

* * *

Hidden in the shadowed ceiling above, a small conical head poked out, peering down at the excited people below. He stifled a laugh, hardly believing his luck. Fugitives. Not just the sanctuary for the Nightmare Soldiers, but the humans as well. He could get his revenge. Or rather, he could make sure that some rather interested parties could get revenge on his behalf. Surely that would get him a good position, handing over such juicy information. What an opportunity this was.

Oligomon carefully backed himself into the rock, before digging his way around, hiding in the chamber wall. He chuckled to himself as he moved forwards, in the direction where he knew the keep was waiting.

"Oh Lord Dallurmon, do I have a story for you..."

* * *

 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	8. Episode 8: Rise and Fall

_**Digimon Inferno: Playing with Matches**_

 _ **Episode 8: Rise and Fall**_

* * *

Geryomon wandered through the caverns at a leisurely pace, his six legs moving two at a time in a mechanical yet oddly fluid fashion. His arms swung by his sides, unneeded, and he moved in surprising silence. The algae over the walls illuminated him bit by bit, accentuating the various contours and creases of his body.

Presently he stopped, and stayed still for a minute or so, seeming almost exactly like a statue. Then his top section swivelled, and he stared back into the blackness.

"It takes a master to trail me successfully. Whoever you are, step out."

His pursuer did so. Or rather, he slithered out, since the pursuer was Neonamon. He seemed somewhat out of breath; not surprising, given how fast he'd needed to crawl to keep up to the grid man. Geryomon's rightmost eye swivelled down at him, and grunted. "You kept up closer than I'd thought. Not bad for an In-Training level."

"I've been observing things for a long time." Neonamon smiled. "I must say though, you're a first for me. All of your people down here."

"Mind your slippery tongue, little one. Don't think I'm not aware of who you work for." Geryomon held out a mechanical palm. "If you wish to talk, let us do so."

The little snake slithered up onto the giant's palm, over his elbow, before resting on his right shoulder. Geryomon swivelled back into position, and carried on, keeping his movements incredibly smooth. Neonamon looked around, and whistled. "Nice place."

"It is adequate shelter. And discrete."

"I'm sure. None of us in Dallurmon's staff were even aware of it. I don't think even Groundramon mentioned it, the little I ever heard from him."

"And I would ask you to keep it that way."

The snake fluttered his eyelids. "What guarantee would you have that any of us will honour that?"

Geryomon paused, and swivelled his head sideways. "The fact that, despite being here, you still don't know exactly where we are. The fact that Dallurmon seems far more concerned with you and your friends than about us for the moment." The giant raised a free hand, and clenched it. "And the fact that I could kill you all in a heartbeat and no-one on the surface would ever know."

"Ah."

"Be wary of your jokes, serpent."

The giant lowered his hand, but kept his central gaze locked firmly on the little snake. Neonamon cleared his throat, and changed the subject. "So how many do you have down here?"

"It changes. It helps to not have too many here at any one time; Nightmare Soldiers aren't always known for their subtlety."

"And you're all Nightmare Soldiers?"

"Most of us. Some are sympathisers. Others are simple Virus and Data types who are oppressed. We can offer sanctuary, but little more." The giant turned a corner so sharply that Neonamon almost rolled off his shoulder, but was just able to hang on. "There are many here who despise your profession, serpent. They see you as dividing the world. Creating conflict merely out of difference."

"We only follow Lord Dallurmon's orders. Nobody questions them."

"Following him blindly is still following him."

"And on our own heads be it, it appears." Neonamon looked up into Geryomon's eye, and his face told all. "And what of you? What do you think?"

"It doesn't matter to me. Your data doesn't define you. You, me, the humans, Dallurmon; data, virus, vaccine; everyone has the right to the same life."

Neonamon's mouth moved sideways. "Even if they abuse that right?"

Geryomon clasped his hands together. "It would be unbecoming of me to judge your people on that, given the atrocities my kind has caused in the past." He turned his whole body around with the sound of scraping stone. "Be wary. We are still Nightmare Soldiers."

Neonamon chuckled. "I'm beginning to question whether I should even be scared of your kind anymore."

Geryomon stared, and he let out a low rumbling sound that may have been his own deep laugh.

"That's because you haven't seen what we can truly be like."

* * *

Lizzie bit her lip, and shuffled forwards at an agonisingly slow pace. Yvonne was sat in the cavern before her, talking to Arimon cheerfully.

"Um..."

Yvonne turned towards her, and the taller girl could see the smile flicker a little. "Hello?"

"I'm, um..." Lizzie fell to her knees, instinctively bowing her head. "I'm sorry! I said some rubbish things! Please can we..." She stuttered, trying to find the words, before looking up. "Can we make up? Can you forgive me?"

There was a little pause. Lizzie could just see the side of Yvonne's face; not enough to see her expression. Then Yvonne turned, sniffed, and rubbed beneath her nose. "Of course. I was never mad at you."

"R...really? It's okay?"

"You silly thing." Yvonne shuffled forwards, throwing her hands awkwardly around Lizzie's body in a friendly hug. "It's alright. I'd never hate you, especially not for something like that." She chuckled. "You did have a point."

Lizzie tentatively reached out herself, reciprocating her oldest friend's hug. There was a flurry, and something else joined the fray with an excited chirrup. "Ooh, can I join?"

Lizzie yelped as Mynahmon shoved her way inside, thrusting her wings around the two of them. After a little tangle and a few feathers being accidentally stuffed up people's noses, they drew apart again. Mynahmon had obviously been cooped up for far too long, since she was more hyper than ever. "I went out and I got really really lost and it took me ages to get back here but that's not what I meant because I passed something you know and I was sort of running away from something at the time which was trying to eat me but this thing it was like a rock only it wasn't a rock it was like one of your rocks and-"

Lizzie held out a hand and clamped the bird's beak shut, leaning forwards slightly. "Breathe. We can't understand you."

She let go, and Mynahmon obliged, blushing slightly. She carried on, albeit at a slower pace. Lizzie and Yvonne listened intently, sharing the occasional glance. Eventually the bird ran out of things to say, and sat down, exhausted all of a sudden. Lizzie chuckled, and tickled behind Mynahmon's head. "What are we going to do with you?"

Yvonne cocked her head. "Rocks?"

"Yagamon gave them to me," Lizzie said, reaching inside her pocket and pulled out one of the gemstones, rolling it in her palm. "It's pretty. I got a few; I think they were just spares from what she had."

"What do they do?"

"Not a clue. I think she was using them as medicine?"

Yvonne grinned. "That's cool. You can start early on your doctor training."

The other girl gave an uncertain laugh. "Yeah. I'm sure that would go down well. Magical glowy stones."

"Well you never know."

"In this place? No. I never do."

Arimon shuffled forwards, smiling. "You seem a bit more comfortable with our world now."

Lizzie pulled back, clenched her fists, before forcing herself to relax. "We have people like you looking out for us. And people like you to look after." She laughed nervously. "It's just a little dangerous at times. Very dangerous at times. Really, really-"

Yvonne leant back. "I'm sure we can handle it. We have so far. Even if we have had a couple of scares."

* * *

George was not usually one to get nervous when talking to people. Then again, he was not usually one to give heart-to-hearts, and when he was, he had usually been pretty bad at it.

But even an emotionally dense boy like him could see that the recent events had hit some of them harder than most.

"May I come in?"

There was no answer. Only a low, constant trill as Jiminymon stared at the wall in front of him. The boy swallowed. "I'm coming in."

He did so, shuffling ever so slowly towards the cricket, who didn't even register his presence. He could see papers lying around her. Maps, charts, to-do-lists; you name it, it was spread everywhere. There was Jiminymon's backpack as well, flung against the wall and hanging open.

"I can come back...or...not..." George sighed. "I don't know. I don't know what to say."

Still no answer. The boy turned, and considered leaving, but decided against it, shuffling a bit closer. The cricket did not look at her best. Her wings were drooped down over her back, and her eyes were practically blank, as if somebody had ripped her out of her shell and left just the empty carapace sitting there.

George bent down, and got to his knees, placing his hands in his lap. He could see the vague golden light of her pupils swing slowly towards him, then back. She still said nothing.

"We're all alive. We'll all be okay-"

The boy groaned, and ran his fingers through his hair. "Who am I kidding...I can't do this. I can't even think of a solution to the problem, let alone help anyone else."

Jiminymon's head nodded down slightly, in a gesture that may have been exasperation. George smiled. That was something.

"How does it feel?"

A slight movement, but no words. George clasped his fingers together. "My dad would always say the knife of a friend carries twice the hurt of the knife of an enemy. I guess it's why he doesn't have many friends."

"Dallurmon wasn't my friend."

George looked down, and Jiminymon slowly lay forwards, stretching her front legs out and staring at the wall. "Dallurmon was...everything. Is everything. He's my whole reason for being. I admire him and I love him. And yet he looked at me – looked right at me – and tried to kill me."

The boy looked away. "Slightly more intense, isn't it."

"What have I done wrong?" Jiminymon rolled over, looking up at George with wide eyes. "What did any of us do wrong? Were we just tricked?" Her three eyes focused on the boy's face, and she stared, as if trying to see inside his head. "Are you evil? Are you going to destroy this world?"

George blinked. "...we're not planning on it..."

Jiminymon stared at him for an uncomfortably long time. Then she rolled back over. "You don't look evil."

"Neither did Dallurmon."

"So it's the word of the Digimon I trusted with my life and being against the word of...you weird things."

"Thanks."

"It's true though."

"I suppose." George smiled. "You're looking a bit better."

"Don't make any...mistake." Jiminymon stood up, her wings fluttering as she walked around in front of George, her footsteps shaky.

"My life is over now. All I have left is my composure. And when that goes..."

She looked down at the ground. "You'd better go."

George smiled, and reached out a hand, but the cricket flinched and pulled away. " _Don't..._ just...go. Please."

"Alright. I'll be back though."

He stood up, and brushed his trousers off. As he walked away, he paused, running his hands over his chin. "You know...it probably doesn't compare to Dallurmon, but if you like, I can be your friend."

He turned around, but the cricket had resigned herself to silence again.

* * *

"You wanted to see me, my lord?"

Phorusrhamon stood, wings by her side and head lowered, in the entryway to Dallurmon's main office. She rarely came in here, and when she did it was always an experience. Papyrus lined the walls and strange, blinking crystals were mounted over every surface, showing lines of Digicode and alphanumerics which she could never understand. A large hexagonal surface was laid out in the centre of the room, with edges bevelled to the floor and the surface shimmering and glittering like quicksilver. She knew not to touch it; that was where Dallurmon received his visions. She didn't want to know what it could do to her.

There was the sound of footsteps on the other side. Dallurmon was walking around, his lone arm swinging freely. He was staring directly at her. She bowed her head even further, but her eyes glanced up to behind him. She could see the door to his private quarters; a place she had seen but once, in a memory she would rather have forgotten.

"Senior administrator."

Dallurmon stopped a couple of metres away from her, caressing his neck with his hand. He never broke eye contact. At least, she imagined he didn't. It was impossible to know under the mask, although those crudely-drawn eyes remained boring into her. The tattoos themselves were worrying. A deep purple. Dallurmon was angry.

"Did you dispose of the humans? All of them?"

Phorusrhamon felt herself tremble. It was a simple question, but she felt her mind going blank.

"There were...a couple of complications-"

" _ANSWER_ me."

The rage was so sudden that Phorusrhamon slipped, falling to her knees. Dallurmon took a step forwards, the claws of his hand now digging into his shoulder.

"Did you kill the humans?"

"Yes. Groundramon buried them. They could never have survived. I mortally wounded several as well."

"Are they all dead? Every single one?" Dallurmon took another step forwards. Phorusrhamon could see the cylinder of his other hand, as the individual keys twisted randomly back and forth, seemingly of their own accord. The tattoos were glowing more vividly. She opened her mouth to speak, but Dallurmon spoke first.

"It's just one. I've seen it. A single one of them will end this world. I don't know how, or when, or who. But I can't take any chances." Dallurmon's claw closed suddenly, digging into his shoulder flesh. His face was stern.

"Give me the full answer. Is every single human that invaded our world forever dead?"

Phorusrhamon swallowed.

"I don't know."

"Then why are you here, senior administrator?"

The giant's tattoos were blood-red now, swirling angrily. The bird didn't want to look, and tried to avert her gaze, but ended up staring directly at Dallurmon's cylinder once again. The clicking stopped, and Dallurmon pulled his other arm over, clasping the metal shaft.

"You remember that day as well as I, don't you?"

"I'm sorry...I..."

"I told you then. I could no longer trust myself. My arm...the divine right arm would end the world. So I destroyed it. _You_ destroyed it."

He stepped forwards, and his look was almost wistful.

"Sometimes I want that power back. But then I remember the pain. And the pain reminds me of what is right."

"My lord..."

"The children must die. I must know this. And you must know this, for it is your world too."

His hand shot out without warning, grappling Phorusrhamon's head and pressing it down onto the polished floor. She didn't struggle. Didn't even make a sound. All she could do was watch as Dallurmon crouched down, grinding his teeth.

"If my orders are not enough to remind you of what is at stake, then maybe pain will be." Dallurmon bowed his head. "Please understand."

The tattoos shone, and swirled heavily. Phorusrhamon closed her eyes.

" **Aesir Storm!** "

* * *

Groundramon opened his eyes, and winced. "Ouch. You don't look so good."

A flying blade embedded itself in the rock right next to his eye, and he closed his mouth. "Let me guess. Our lord wasn't convinced."

Phorusrhamon narrowed her eyes as best she could. "We're going back. We bring back the bodies of those children. All of them."

Groundramon snorted, and lazily pushed himself onto his front. "You realise there won't be much left to bring back. What, do we just gather as many bones and bits of flesh pulp as we can find, and let him sort through them?"

"Do you want to argue with him?"

"No."

"Because if you have a problem then you can argue with him."

"I said no."

"Fine. Then we're going."

Groundramon shrugged. "Hey, I'm not bothered. I'm still good for crushing things. Maybe we'll find some of those delightful nightmare rogues down there." His mouth widened into a cheeky grin that was unbecoming of his terrifying visage. "They do feel so nice under the claws."

He began to hum to himself as he waddled his huge girth out the chamber, with Phorusrhamon following behind him. Every step caused a new spasm of pain, and she held one wing up to the left side of her face, gingerly touching the torn skin and the raw muscle, and wincing at the stinging sensation. She was definitely going to be remembering this for a while.

Groundramon raised his head back. "Look on the bright side. He left your eye intact. You can still shoot things."

That was very true. Dallurmon was nothing if not precise.

* * *

Night in the catacombs was close to eternal, but even so many Digimon of the sanctuary chose to rest at certain times. Not everyone though. No matter the hour, Geryomon stayed ever vigilant, for there was no telling when or where the next threat would arrive. It never bothered him particularly; after all, being a golem of flesh and muscle, he never got tired.

He twisted his head, and clasped his top set of arms together. "Yagamon?"

The witch hovered out, clearly fatigued herself. She'd been working hard over the past few days, and now that all the injured were healed, she was the one feeling the stress. She lay back in her mortar, her arms cradling the sides in a rather satisfied pose, as she looked down with Geryomon at the labyrinthine tunnels below. Geryomon humphed to himself. "I know what you're going to ask. I can read you like a book."

The witch cocked her head, and Geryomon chuckled. "You pick up on these things." His expressionless face turned sideways, and he lowered his body, not quite able to get down to her level but close. His six arms lay in his lap(?), and his eye glowed brightly.

"You know we can't. For their own sake as much as ours."

Yagamon folded her arms. Geryomon sighed.

"And what of the others in the sanctuary? Dallurmon doesn't know our power, certainly, but we don't know his either. For all we know he's already on his way here. I can't risk going with them, much though I want to."

Yagamon's mortar began to bob away, but Geryomon reached out with an arm, firmly but gently, and caught it by the rim.

"And neither can you. Especially not you. This place needs you."

Yagamon stared at him for a while, behind her veil of silvery hair. Then her head fell, and she wrapped her bony arms around herself.

"Have faith in them, Yagamon. They're strong. All of them."

The witch rolled her shoulders, and pulled away, disappearing silently back into the darkness. Geryomon stood himself up again, and watched her go, before turning his attention back towards the children below him.

"Poor things. You don't belong here, and yet the blame for this all falls with you. Nobody's willing to take responsibility...for your return home..."

He trailed off, shaking his head, and returned to his vigil in silence.

* * *

The group decided to head off early the next morning, while things were still relatively calm. They thanked Geryomon, Yagamon and the sanctuary for their help, and were given directions towards the keep. It wasn't far to go; after all, the sanctuary remained beneath the buried canyon, so retained its fair share of shortcuts and straight roads.

Yvonne was the one to say the final farewell to Geryomon, who offered them his blessing. "Our lord Dallurmon is a dangerous beast, although you must know that by now. I hope you find what you're looking for." He turned his head slightly, glancing down at a very quiet Jiminymon. "The same for you, administrator."

George smiled sheepishly. "Me too. This will all be far more manageable once we're finally home."

"Perhaps."

It was a cryptic message, but a far warmer leaving party than they'd received from the first village. Several of the sanctuary members even came out to see them off, although a few were still notably scared about the Porcupamon incident. With the D-Port on his back, George turned to send a last farewell wave to Geryomon, but the statue was already gone by the time he did so.

It didn't take too long to navigate the catacombs the next morning. With a renewed spring in their step, and with Chupamon leading the way, they got through the tunnels in no time, and pretty soon the sweet relief of natural light began to fall upon their faces, one by one. Then the tunnels opened up in the side of an embankment, leading them onto somewhere new.

It was certainly a striking sight. All around, huge hexagonal pillars of rock stuck out from the ground like massive steps. Some reached high, forming a wall that seemed to stretch for miles around. Others were shorter, forming a plateau in front of them; uniform and alien, with not a single sign of life. Most of the pillars were bare, save for a couple, which housed weird, twisting sculptures of rock and metal; pointing up into the sky and looking far too angular to be a natural phenomenon. Still, this was the Digital World. By now, the children had come to terms with the idea that anything was possible.

Not that they were paying much attention to them anyway, as lying in plain sight was something far taller and much more ominous. It was a tower, reaching to just beneath the clouds, with a cubic base and spiralling pathways up its cylindrical spire; sitting at the top, a strange light seemed to glow; just off-white or off-blue, and pulsing ever so slightly. Joel couldn't help but shiver as he stared up at it. "It's like a castle."

Yvonne turned to Arimon. "I'm guessing that's our destination?"

"From what I've heard about Dallurmon's keep, it seems to be." The sheep fingered the hilt of his dagger, feeling uneasy. "I hope he can't see us."

Wyvermon scoffed. "Rumour has it Dallurmon can see anybody at any time. I don't buy it. Certainly not now." He sniffed. "Overzealous twit."

"Don't say that!"

Wyvermon narrowed his eyes at Jiminymon, who was looking even more on edge than normal. "You're still defending him?"

"I...I didn't..." The cricket coughed. "Dallurmon's powerful. More than any of you know. I wouldn't take those rumours too lightly. He may very well already know we're here."

Marsuamon folded her arms. "That's all the more reason to get moving then, right?"

"Right." Alasdair looked ahead, and scanned the horizon. "It's too far to make it to the keep today. The closer we can get the better though. Keep an eye out for giant ground dragons and bird snipers, alright?"

There was a hesitant laugh from the group behind him, and they all set off. The catacombs, for all their dankness and being filled with demonic creatures, had at least felt like cover. Now they were in the open, and with every step, the children became aware they were walking ever closer to the jaws of doom.

* * *

Oligomon's augers span at an incredible speed, but he was finding it hard going. Swimming through the dense rock pillars was a far cry from his usual quick movements through the earth. It didn't help that occasionally one of them would shift up or down like a piston, occasionally while he was halfway through it. That was always a dicey affair.

Still, he moved quickly and efficiently. Nasty as the terrain might have been, it just came naturally to him, although his sense of direction was...less profound. He cursed himself for managing to go in the wrong direction _twice_ , and put on the speed just a little. Still, the keep wasn't far now. Dallurmon was going to reward him big time for this, he just knew it.

He slowed down, and tilted upwards slightly, trying to get a look above ground. His tubular eyes broke the surface, squeezing between two pillars, and he saw he'd finally made it. The great keep, towering above him. He chuckled to himself.

Due to the angle of his ascent, he was completely unaware of the massive claw before it stabbed the rock either side of him, closed around his body like a pincer, and yanked him right out of the ground, wriggling and screaming. Groundramon smirked as he turned the worm around in his claws, trying to get a better look at it.

"Well now...

 _Squeak_

The dragon raised the worm thoughtfully. "You're one of ours, aren't you?"

"I...uh, I...yes. Yes I am." Oligomon swallowed. "I, uh...I came back, to..."

"Hey now, wait a minute, I remember you now!" Groundramon looked purposely thoughtful. "Now that I come to think about it, I seem to recall hearing rumours about you hanging around with a Hookmon. So maybe you aren't one of ours at all."

Oh. So they knew.

Groundramon grinned, and pulled the worm closer to his jaws, the claw tightening a little. "If you're trying to run away, you did a rather bad job in avoiding me. Or are you a noble little maggot who's returned for his rightful punishment?"

Oligomon felt his body stiffen; this wasn't going quite as he might have hoped. As he felt the claws closing in either side of him, he blurted out everything he could.

"I have information! Important information! Children!"

Groundramon stopped, and stared at him. "Children? Those...things?"

"Groundramon, let him go."

The dragon humphed, and promptly obliged, dropping Oligomon roughly on the ground. The worm shook his head as Phorusrhamon stepped up, looking decidedly irritated. "You should realise you're not in Lord Dallurmon's best books at the moment, _former_ intern. I hope you're not going to waste my time."

Oligomon glanced up at Phorusrhamon, considered commenting on her ruined face, and then rapidly considered against it. He coiled himself up, poking his head out of the centre as he looked up at her. "I saw the children, senior administrator. There's a tunnel system, the other side of the pillars, and they'd somehow got there."

"Tunnel system? Beneath the canyon?" Phorusrhamon's head whipped round, and even the mighty earth dragon stepped back, afraid of that expression. "Did you know about that?"

Groundramon shook his head, looking more than a little sheepish. "Never came across anything under there."

"I think they hide it. Or...someone hides it." Oligomon coughed. "There's a hideout down there; loads of Nightmare Soldiers, right next to Dallurmon's keep." He tried to smile cheekily, but it didn't come out as confidently as he hoped. "I thought you might be interested in that too."

Groundramon grinned. "Smarmy beasts, trying to hide underground from me." He looked at Phorusrhamon. "I know what I'll be up to, if you don't mind."

"I do. We have a mission." Phorusrhamon's hand went to the side of her face, and she winced, before turning her attention back to Oligomon. "The children. Where are they? In the sanctuary?"

"They left."

"Where are they now?"

"Somewhere around the...uh...pillars. Somewhere."

"The pillars? Right outside here?" The bird narrowed her eyes. "And you didn't stop them...because...?"

Oligomon's mouth hung open. Darn. He'd forgotten to think of an answer to that one.

He became aware of Groundramon also eyeing him, licking his lips, and quickly thought up the best excuse he could. "I, uh, they...they're growing stronger. And they're on their guard. I...I'm only Champion level. And I'm not used to combat, I, uh, work better with multiple people, so, uh, you know...I thought I'd be a messenger instead of-"

"You work better with others?" Phorusrhamon humphed. "Fine, you can redeem yourself."

"Thank you, I...uh...what?"

The bird let out a whistle, and a large, brutish-looking Digimon stepped forward, interlocking its three-pronged claws and cracking its knuckles. Oligomon's eyes moved from the newcomer to Phorusrhamon. She didn't look like she was joking.

"The humans will take a while to get here. They'll probably need to rest. Take your companion, track them, and wait till they're resting." She leant forwards. "Kill the humans. All of them. With any luck you can remember that between you. Groundramon will be keeping an eye on you, so it would be wise not to fail."

The worm gulped. "Yes, administrator."

"Go."

Oligomon squirmed, and quickly burrowed his way back underground. There was a thin trail of earth leading away as he swam through the rock, and with a grin, Strikedramon marched after it, flexing as he did so. Groundramon turned to Phorusrhamon, and raised an eyebrow. "That's unlike you."

"What? I'm a senior administrator; I delegate people."

"You've had half your face melted off to confirm the supposed urgency of killing those things. Why won't you send me?"

"Because you obviously didn't do a very good job the first time. You're strong, yes, but you can't aim for crap."

Groundramon pouted. "I resent that."

"Resent it all you want, I outrank you." She sighed. "Besides, I'm worried. OIigomon said they'd gotten stronger. If we get this wrong, we could lose heavy hitters like you. I'm being cautious. Let the interns beat them up a bit, and if all goes horribly wrong, you step in."

"Sure, whatever." Groundramon scraped beneath his chin, looking upwards. "Dallurmon's not gonna like this plan..."

" _Lord_ Dallurmon hasn't fought with them. They're different. They survived my attacks before as well as your collapsing the ground." She glanced to the side. "Not to mention they stole away one of my best staff members."

"Ah. So this is personal." Groundramon shrugged. "I'm always here if you want me to crush them. Just saying. If they're really that strong, I kinda wanna have a crack at them myself."

He waddled away, pressing his claws to the ground and beginning to vibrate them, pushing himself beneath the solid rock with little effort. "You wouldn't have any objection to that, would you?"

"Stick to the plan, Groundramon."

Groundramon grinned with a mouth far too toothy for its own good.

"Whatever you say."

He vanished in a cloud of dust, leaving only a pile of rubble to indicate where he'd been. Phorusrhamon paced, glancing out over the plains with her good eye.

"Our own people, Dallurmon. Our own...citizens. Must we really...destroy them...?"

She ground her beak, and set off after Oligomon's trail.

"It's not too late..."

* * *

It was a slow journey, the pillars being a rough and treacherous path. On occasion Neonamon pulled the group away, fearful of potential drones that might be hiding overhead, but nobody spotted them. Or if they had, nobody made any move.

It was tough going, and they all knew that they'd never get through the keep in their current condition. Eventually they veered off the path, keeping the fortress within view, but hopefully far enough away that Dallurmon wouldn't be able to see them. As spots of rain began to fall from the darkening sky, they found shelter beneath two of the twisted sculptures, which were entangled together. As the rain hit the metal, it let off tones, which mingled with those of the sculptures from miles around, like a chorus across the pillars, singing in appreciation of the moisture.

It wasn't the only one appreciating it. Placomon rolled around outside, wet dust beginning to cake her skin which was renewed with a great sheen. Some of the Digimon came out as well just to enjoy the rainstorm. Eventually Placomon tired, and sat back against one of the legs of the great sculpture, within which a majority of the children were taking shelter, obviously not so much a fan of moisture. The fish grinned, and her tail flipped back and forth. There was a squelching next to her as Marsuamon sat down, looking refreshed herself. "You must be happy about this."

"Don't I know it..." Placomon opened up one of her hands, rubbing the palm with the other. "I was peeling earlier. Never done so much walking in my life."

"Looks like you've never done much of anything in your life."

Placomon pouted, but shrugged soon after. "True." She yawned, and stared out over the mosaic of the plateau. "This'll probably be a good thing. They won't see us under cover like this."

"I wouldn't get cocky. Though we can take 'em."

Placomon peered sideways at the wallaby, who had her feet stretched out in front of her, curling her toes. The fish cocked her head. "What are you in this for?"

"Hmm?"

"Just thinking...Arimon and Wyvermon wanted to get out, Chupamon wanted to see his home, Jiminymon and Neonamon worked for Dallurmon, and Mynahmon...well, I guess she's just loopy." Placomon blinked. "What made you want to hang around with these guys?"

"I could ask you the same thing. Heck, you joined us just like that."

"I...thought I wanted to be something...more than I was. Or at least...I don't know." Placomon peered into the shelter at Joel, who was being a bit more boisterous than usual. "It sounds strange, but I wanted to be with the boy. I wanted to guard him."

"Do you reckon it's a power they have?"

"The power of friendship or something?" Placomon sniggered. "Nah, that'd be ridiculous."

"Maybe not." Marsuamon sighed. "When I evolved into Procoptomon, I felt like I actually had the power to do something. Like I can actually change the world for the better, so long as I was with Rachel."

Her face fell, and Placomon blinked. "You don't want her to go, do you?"

"She's changed me, Placomon. In fact, I think the children have changed all of us. I don't want any of them to go. But somewhere out there is their home. It isn't right to keep them away from that."

Placomon flipped her tail, and leaned back, her arms behind her head. "Maybe they'd take us with them?"

Marsuamon smirked. "Maybe..."

She peered up at the rumbling clouds overhead.

"Maybe they could."

* * *

"Jiminymon?"

The bug looked down, and saw Neonamon sat beside her, a rare concerned expression on his face.

"That's not a good look for you."

"Jiminymon, please..." The snake bit his lower lip. "You haven't said a word today. I...I know what we're doing is..." He sighed. "They're going to fight. I know that. You must do as well. You're smarter than me."

The bug didn't answer. She turned her head, looking up at the keep, or at least where the keep should have been, obscured as it was by the darkened sky.

"I was thinking, and...well..." The snake shuffled. "Nobody's going to blame you for leaving."

"Leaving?"

"You still believe in Dallurmon, right?" The snake smiled. "You tried, but what Dallurmon wants and what the children want mean if you stayed you'd have to face up to him."

"And what about you?"

Now it was Neonamon who didn't answer. He didn't need to.

"You're staying?"

"I've been with these people a while. I want to see what they're capable of." He smirked. "I know. I'm selfish."

"Not as selfish as I'd be if I left. Did you talk to the others?"

He turned around, unable to face her any more. "I know you didn't sign up for any of this. You don't owe any of us anything." His frill flickered slightly, a sign of nervousness that Jiminymon knew all too well.

"You still have time. But you know we're heading in tomorrow."

He slithered away hurriedly, with Jiminymon watching after him. She stared out towards the keep, phasing out the conversations as she did so, leaving herself lost within her own thoughts.

"Damn that serpent."

* * *

Lizzie shivered, holding her arms close to her sides. She was decidedly not having fun in the rain – she rarely did – but her mind was stuck on issues other than the weather. She stared out into the greyness, her breath in her throat. Every movement seemed to be hiding something; another great monster ready to leap out and kill them without a second thought.

She perished the thought, and held her sides more tightly. "Not long now. Not...not long now."

"Yo."

Lizzie blinked, and looked aside at Mynahmon hovering above her. "What?"

The bird cocked her head, and settled down flamboyantly beside the girl, who scrunched her nose up. "Your feathers are dripping. You smell."

"It's only water. I used to live in a rainforest; we'd get this every day."

"Right. I'm sure." Lizzie rolled her fingers. "How did you get here then? I didn't see a rainforest on the way here."

Mynahmon gave her a look, and flapped her wings slightly. "I'm a bird."

"Oh. Of course."

Mynahmon chuckled. "I actually came from the other side of the world. I've been island-hopping. Well...I was, but after a few islands I got caught by pirates, then robbers, then a mad king for a while, then I was held up by the Fire Kingdom but that was just a misunderstanding, then..." She trailed off, muttering to herself and counting on her feathers like fingers. Eventually she shrugged. "By the time Hookmon got me I'd been hopping around for so long it was kind of fun at that point. And then there's you guys." She beamed, her headcrest bobbing up and down."

Lizzie gave a weak smile. "Doesn't it ever get lonely?"

"You find friends wherever you go. I meet them, spend some time with them, then I move on. There's always someone out there."

The girl nodded along, but her face was incredulous. She looked over at the group in the centre of the shelter; Alasdair, Lucy, George...Yvonne. Doing her usual. Having a blast. Keeping everybody's spirits up.

"I prefer my own friends. The ones who stay with me. Everyone else..."

She became aware of Mynahmon staring at her in an uncharacteristically silent fashion, and her mouth felt suddenly dry. "Yvonne's been my friend for a long time. But she's everyone's friend. She doesn't have any problems with anyone."

"What about you?" Mynahmon hopped forwards slightly. "Am I your friend?"

"Of course. You won't give me a choice."

"Yes! I mean...hey, what does that mean?"

Lizzie smiled quickly, before her eyes wandered again. There was a burst of laughter, over by the others. Mynahmon nudged the girl. "Should we join them? It might be important."

"They're fine. They don't need me."

"But Yvonne is-"

"Yvonne is doing just fine with them." Lizzie bunched herself up slightly more. "Besides, I don't even know them that well. People like them...strangers like them...I could never be friends with them."

"Why?"

Lizzie let out a breath. "You wouldn't understand."

The bird nudged her a few more times, but the girl refused to answer any more.

* * *

Unnoticed, Rachel ran her hand over the surface of the D-Port, feeling every bump and every gouge in its once pristine surface. She bit her lip, glancing quickly over at the others. Nobody was paying any attention to her, not even Marsuamon, and she liked it that way. Just for now. She wasn't sure how long she could hide the growing dread within her.

The D-Port hummed slightly, and she stopped, pressing her palm flat against the metal. It was warm. Almost alive. Maybe it could be alive; she wasn't sure. This world seemed to give new life and new meaning to so many things.

The metal shifted, and she drew back. Just a scare. A loose panel, buckling slightly. She looked around again, and became aware of Neonamon looking at her, wide-eyed and expressionless. He said nothing; merely smiled. Rachel smiled back, waiting for the snake to turn away.

Back in the catacombs, Rachel had omitted certain truths. The D-Port did indeed still work, but as she looked at the torn wires, sheared screws and scorched metal through the gaps in the casing, she knew very well that it wouldn't be long before it stopped working for good.

* * *

The rain had slowed to a drizzle throughout the night; quiet and calm enough to allow the group to get one final rest before the dreaded day tomorrow. The D-Port hummed quietly underneath the sculpture, and nearby the children huddled together for warmth, sleeping lightly and fitfully, but still sleeping. The Digimon were in a circle around them, taking turns watching out from beneath the sculpture. Marsuamon and Jiminymon were both up, but the wallaby's eyes were drooping and her legs were worn out from the heavy day of moving. Jiminymon glanced up at her. "Do you want to get some rest?"

"What about you? Will you be alright?"

"Please." Jiminymon flicked her antennae. "Even in this rain I can hear further than any of you can."

"Show-off." Marsuamon winked, and hopped inside, curling up besides Arimon.

Jiminymon waited a few minutes, before turning and looking back into the shelter. For once, everybody seemed peaceful, temporarily unaware of the danger they were in.

The cricket focused her attention back outside, towards the keep. Her hearing was indeed very sensitive. Sensitive enough to pick up the footsteps from half a kilometre away. And even in the dark and the mist, her sharp eyes could make out the glint of metal not far away. A deliberate gesture. Not aggressive.

Jiminymon sat back, and rubbed her muzzle with her front legs, her feelers twitching. There was nothing else. Only rain, and distant thunder.

In a few moments she was scampering away, leaping in great bounds in an effort to keep her wings from getting too damp. In a second she'd reached her destination, ducking beneath an overcrop of metallic rock, and flickering her wings.

Somebody was already there.

Phorusrhamon reached beneath her wings with her beak, running the serrated edge over her feathers with a keen rasp. Jiminymon flinched, and placed her feet together. "Why haven't you killed us yet, senior administrator?"

The bird halted her preening, and raised her neck, looking up at the clouded sky. "I had a feeling you'd be watching. You always were promising."

"Phorusrhamon-"

The bird didn't answer. Water dripped over the edge of the overcrop, running in trails inside the cave. Jiminymon shivered. "We're coming tomorrow. We're going to reach the wall between worlds. The children are going home."

"Why are you telling me?" Phorusrhamon blinked. "I've been tasked with killing them. And any of you who resist. I stand by that."

"So then why haven't you killed me?"

"Because I don't want to lose you. Your diligence. Your intelligence. Your loyalty."

"I have no loyalty. Not to Dallurmon."

"That's a lie, Jiminymon-"

The cricket turned, looking up desperately. "I respected him, but I was never loyal to him! I was loyal to you!" She looked down. "You were who I truly pledged myself to. That's why it broke my heart to see you turn your back on me."

Phorusrhamon looked down at the tiny Rookie level, and reached out with a tender claw, resting it on her head.

"I knew you looked up to me. I always knew. But just as you pledged yourself to me, so I pledged myself to Dallurmon. And Dallurmon to the future of the world."

"How can you be sure?"

"Because I know more about him than you. I alone know how much he's sacrificed."

Jiminymon didn't reply. Her head was low, submissive. Gently, Phorusrhamon reached out with an arm and pulled her close, her wings draped over the tiny body. The cricket didn't struggle. She just waited within that grasp. Waited for it all to be over, and for her life to be back to normal. But she knew it wasn't coming.

So distracted was she, she didn't hear the breathing a few dozen metres away. Behind a rock, knuckles practically white as she gripped the slippery surface, was Lizzie. She couldn't hear what was being said, but even with her rain-specked glasses she could see. She'd been the first to wake up, seeing Jiminymon's departure. Against her better judgement, she'd run after her. Now she was shaking her head, hissing under her breath.

"Damn you...why...why, when we're so close..."

She wanted to stand up, but her knees were heavy and sodden. She could feel the panic rising within her, and tried to force herself to swallow. She nearly choked instead, and shuffled backwards, hands clasped firmly over her mouth.

" _Please no..."_

There was a distant rumble, and she turned, looking back at the shelter. Even at this distance she could see flickering lights, and shadows leaping over the metal.

"Oh god!"

She leapt up, her shoes slipping on the sodden ground as she stumbled forward, paying no heed to Phorusrhamon and Jiminymon. They noticed her though, and Jiminymon snapped out of her trance, pulling away from Phorusrhamon's grip. "The others! What did you do?"

The bird looked away. "Following orders. More will attack tonight."

Jiminymon turned, furious. "You know as well as I do that all of them are innocent; _why_ are you doing this?"

Phorusrhamon stood up, a brief glint of anger in her eyes, but it flickered out when she saw Jiminymon's defiant gaze. The cricket turned, and began to run.

"Wait!"

"I'm going to save them! I can't abandon them!"

" _Jiminymon, the world is at stake!"_

The cricket paused, still facing away. Phorusrhamon stepped forward, holding out her hand.

"It's a vision. If the children return, they will destroy the world. Dallurmon gave his arm to prevent that, but he's scared, Jiminymon. He's scared for the world, and for all of us."

Jiminymon shivered. "The...others...I can't-"

 _"I don't want to!"_ The bird stood tall, the rain running down her neck and feathers as she watched the flickering lights in the distance. "I don't want to kill them. I don't want to make this decision. But if I don't, our world will die."

She looked away.

"Please...at least let me atone for this by saving you."

* * *

Lizzie arrived back at the shelter to a scene of chaos and flames, as a Digimon hung from the structure above, gripping onto the metal with a hefty iron claw. He grinned, and leapt down amongst a group of Rookies, swinging wildly.

"Come on, come on! Give me a proper fight!"

" **Brave Dagger!** "

" **Crackin' Kick!** "

Marsuamon and Arimon's attacks came simultaneously from either side, but Strikedramon raised both arms at once, blocking them effortlessly.

" **Strike Fang!** "

Arimon leapt away as Strikedramon's metal gauntlets glowed red-hot, but Marsuamon wasn't quite fast enough, the soles of her feet getting singed. She cursed as she landed, hopping from foot to foot. "Damn...losing my touch..."

"You certainly are, given that you _let him right inside!"_

"Jiminymon was watching! She said she could sense anything!" Marsuamon leapt out of the way as Strikedramon swiped forwards, only for Wyvermon to rush in with claws and teeth. "Speaking of, where the hell did she go?"

Arimon turned, and saw Lizzie standing, drenched. He twirled his dagger. "Where have you been? What's going on?"

"I...I don't..."

" _Lizzie!_ Get down!"

The girl snapped out of her panic, and looked down to see Yvonne and the others crouching behind one of the pillars, partially obscured by the flames all around. She rushed over, crouching down. "What's wrong? Why aren't you evolving?"

George grimaced. "We're trying."

"What do you mean, 'trying'?"

There was a bang as Rachel slammed her fist into the pillar, her teeth pressed together. "It's not working! Nothing's working!"

It was true. There was no light. No hum. Rachel and Alasdair had their hands inside, trying to move everything they could, but it was hopeless so far. And without the power of the D-Port, their efforts were all but useless.

"It can't be!" Lizzie shuffled forwards, brushing her hair from her eyes. "It...it was fine..."

"It's not _fine!_ " Alasdair glared up at her. "For once can you stop freaking and do something helpful?"

"Like what? What am I supposed to do?"

"Not run off in the middle of a danger zone would be a good start!"

Lizzie laughed, piercing her chest with her thumb. "You want to know what I've found? Oh wonderful. Okay, fine, since you asked, you know Jiminymon? Yeah, she's just sold us out."

George blinked. "She what? She wouldn't-"

"She did! I saw her with the terrifying bird woman." Lizzie glanced around. "I notice she hasn't come back here."

Yvonne gritted her teeth. "It can't be. Not her..." She turned to Neonamon. "She wouldn't, would she? She wouldn't abandon us? Abandon you?"

Neonamon looked to the side. "I...can't say."

" **Strike Fang!** "

" **Depth Charge!** "

" **Floral Burst!** "

A flurry of wind, fire and water blew in their direction, and the children were knocked backwards. Yvonne knocked on her temples. "We don't have time for this right now."

"We're working!" Rachel knelt up. "I can feel it! It's working!"

" **Slate Shrapnel!** "

" _Look out!"_

Alasdair thrust the girl to the ground as sharpened pellets flew over their heads, a few embedding themselves in his shoulder. He yelled, and the group turned to see a slender, serpentine head pull itself from the ground. He grinned.

"Well now, it's been a while."

"You!"

Oligomon twisted, leering at Lizzie, who shuffled back. The worm sniggered mechanically. "I'm back to doing my job. Sadly that means you're all gonna die."

The children were quick to act; George picked up the D-Port and held it behind him, while Lucy, Alasdair and Joel stood in front. The youngest boy glared at the snake, raising his fists. "This isn't gonna work, you coward."

"Really? Coward? I'm hurt." The worm twirled, swaying back and forth. "I just like making sure I have my bases covered. Unlike you." He hissed. "Now!"

" **Strike Claw!** "

The children ducked as Strikedramon flung an arm forwards, the metal glowing yellow. He stopped mid-leap, one leg being held fast by Placomon and the other ensnared by Chupamon, who looked up at them. "Go! Get out of here!"

Oligomon hissed. "You're not going anywhere!"

With a sudden movement he lunged forwards, shooting straight past the wall and directly at George, who suddenly found himself tussling with several coils of angry, spinning worm. Oligomon clamped his jaws around the boy's forearm, all the while writhing back and forth, his eyes darting up and down. "Give the device to me!"

Yvonne stood up, but she was held tight by Lizzie grabbing her hand, being pulled over herself. "No! He'll kill you!"

"Lizzie..."

" _Joel, no!"_

With an angry cry the youngest member of the group leapt forwards, throwing his arms around Oligomon's neck.

The worm squirmed. He wriggled. Then, in a fast movement, he thrust his head to one side, hoisting the boy off his feet and into the pillar. Hard.

 _CRUNCH_

 _"No!"_

Joel slumped, and Yvonne pulled her hand free from Lizzie's grip, shooting her a look, before running forwards with Alasdair, but Oligomon slipped out the way, avoiding their attacks. Alasdair held his shoulder, his eyes reflecting the fire. "You're not getting this! You're not going to win!"

The worm's eyes flicked to the side, to where Strikedramon was still toying with the Rookies. "Oi! We've got a job to do!"

"Why don't you take some of them then, ya wuss?" muttered the dragon man under his breath.

Oligomon sighed. "I prefer my own playing field." He flicked his eyes up towards the D-Port, still in George's grip. "Still, it might help."

The boy shook his head. "Don't do it-"

With a cackle, the worm disappeared underground, and the ground itself began to shake. Everyone was knocked off their feet, even Strikedramon, who landed on his behind and cursed the worm under his breath. From within the rock, there came a screeching cry.

" **Terrorformer!** "

The pillars creaked. Something snapped, deep underground. Then, as if pressed up from invisible pistons, whole segments of earth began to rise, forming new walls and pillars, scraping and clanking and crunching in jerks and spasms. George found himself suddenly alone, and he held his hands over his head as a great chasm began to open up between him and the others. "Help me!" he cried out, his voice lost in the chaos.

Yvonne noticed first, and she ran forwards, leaping for the pedestal before it travelled out of reach. Lizzie rushed to the edge, but she faltered, nowhere near as athletic as her friend. "Yvonne, come back!"

The other girl had her fingers over the edge, and George was helping her up. He looked up, and gasped. "Lizzie! Behind you!"

The girl turned, and saw Joel, still disorientated from his impact with the pillar. A pillar which was rapidly crumbling at the base and folding in on itself with the shifting earth.

 _"LIZZIE!"_

The girl leapt to her feet, rushing forwards and stumbling on the way. Joel turned up, unaware of the great pillar cracking and falling sideways, ready to crush him where he lay. She yanked him away just in time, debris crashing against them both. She felt a jolt, and looked down to see Joel in her arms, his head bleeding from a fresh wound.

Arms shaking, Lizzie dropped him, screaming as the world around her ruptured and tore. There was the sound of voices around her, and Alasdair, Lucy and Rachel rushed forwards, pulling the younger boy away as the platform's edge disintegrated. Alasdair glanced backwards at the girl, still standing there.

" _Get away from there!"_

The ground shifted, ever so slightly, and Lizzie threw herself down before the pillar and several pieces of rock tumbled downwards into the new chasm. The rumbling began to stop, and the small group gathered around, trapped against a solid rock wall behind them and a lethal drop in front. The landscape had been transformed, the rough plateau now studded with swaying towers, separating them from one another.

Across the drop, they could see their partners, still engaging Strikedramon with burning desperation.

And high up, on one of the tallest towers, they could hear the desperate screeching of the D-Port. Out of sight, and out of reach.

* * *

 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	9. Episode 9: The Wall Between Worlds

_**Digimon Inferno: Playing with Matches**_

 _ **Episode 9: The Wall Between Worlds**_

* * *

Dallurmon recoiled, pulling his hand away from the vision pool as it shimmered. Standing shakily, he began to pace, the keys on his metal arm clicking around continuously.

"It still approaches...but how...I've done everything...right..."

There was a knock at the door, and his head snapped to the side. "Who is it?"

"Senior administrator Phorusrhamon, my lord."

"Enter."

Dallurmon's hand ran over his beard as Phorusrhamon gingerly stepped inside. She winced briefly at the sight of him, the burned side of her face starting to smart once again. She ignored it, bowing her head.

Dallurmon frowned. "The children still live."

"Your soldiers are engaging them. Groundramon is overseeing their destruction."

"Groundramon..." The giant knelt down and reached out towards the pool, as if confirming something. His expression was unreadable.

"Why are you here? You're needed. All of you are needed. The children must not reach-"

"My lord, I have...somebody..."

Dallurmon paused, and stood up again, clenching his fist. Phorusrhamon lowered herself even further. "Please forgive me! I...it was just...I took it upon myself to save someone...my skilled worker from among them-"

" _Show_ me."

Phorusrhamon pulled away, as Jiminymon stepped forwards, tiny step by tiny step. Dallurmon watched her, his markings swirling. "You were with those creatures."

"Lord Dallurmon, I...needed to speak..."

* * *

Oligomon inhaled sharply as his head broke the surface, before looking all around him at his handiwork. The attack had gone successfully; while he was able to fracture fault-lines and cause all sorts of chaos, he'd never know what exactly would occur when he tried. Plus he had to be underground while it all took place.

Still, all seemed to work nicely. He turned back, and focused his attention on the two children before him. Yvonne and George held themselves together, keeping the D-Port behind them. Oligomon raised an eyebrow. "That's an interesting device you have there. I don't suppose you'd lend it to me?"

Yvonne chuckled, insincerely. "What on earth would you use it for?"

"Oh, I don't know. A bit of power here and there. I could maybe gain a leg up on that scaly boss of mine." He licked his lips. "Here's the deal. Give me the device's power, and I let you live."

George swallowed, but Yvonne stood firm. "Tempting. But there's one thing you don't know."

"What's that?"

"It's already on."

" _Don't touch my partner, you creep_."

Oligomon turned just in time for Arimon to land a punch on his triangular face. The worm reeled back, digging into the pedestal on one side and back out the other. "What the..."

Yvonne grinned, and brought her fist down on the top of the metal. In a flash of spiralling purple energy she'd disappeared. Arimon sheathed his dagger, and held his arms out as the purple energy cascaded into him.

"Arimon, Soul Interlock!"

"Evolution Activate!"

The burst of energy hit Oligomon square in the face, and he retreated quickly, muttering under his breath about cheaters as the sheep morphed up above him. "Strikedramon, help!"

On the rocks below, the dragon man looked up, and sniffed the air. "Oh finally...a proper challenge..."

Before any of the other Rookies could stop him he'd leapt sideways, and began to climb the pedestal, digging his claws into the rock and hoisting his body up with little effort.

"Khrysomamon!"

George shuffled backwards as far as he could, holding his hand in front of his face, "Watch where you're stepping, okay?"

The sheep smiled back. "Do you want a lift down?"

"I don't think I can. I burn easily."

The sheep frowned, and was about to reply when Strikedramon cleared the rock behind him, holding a burning arm back. " **Strike Fang!** "

The sheep was downed in an instant, but quickly rolled back onto his feet. He reached back, and pulled the burning sword out just as Strikedramon's arm came down again, colliding with a clang. The dragon man laughed. "Finally, something worthwhile! That worm can deal with the rest of you jokers; I have a proper brawl to win!"

George shuffled to the edge of the pedestal as far as he dared, holding the D-Port tight against his body as the dragon and the ram clashed before him.

* * *

Taking advantage of the chaos, Mynahmon attempted to traverse the new labyrinth of columns and chasms, until she spotted the group of humans, crowded round on one such pedestal.

" **Golden Wildfire!** "

There was a burst of heat from up above, and the bird squawked as drops of fire rained down around her. Careening wildly, she managed to curve round and half-land, half-crash on the human's pedestal, before turning to look up at the ensuing battle. "Yeesh...they're really going at it."

"Mynahmon!"

The bird turned to see Rachel staring at her, her eyes wide. "Where are the others? Are they okay?"

Mynahmon nodded. "Stuck. But Strikedramon just upped and left. I can see he's a bit busy now, or maybe he's keeping Arimon busy; I don't know, but at any rate they're trying to find another way around to get over to you. Or down to you. Not that it matters without the D-Port-"

Lucy turned and put a finger to her lips. "Shush."

"Oh, I uh..." Mynahmon cawed to herself, before hopping forwards slightly? What is it? What's going on?"

Alasdair leaned to one side, and Mynahmon gasped as she saw Joel lying there, out cold and bleeding freely from his head. The older boy wiped his brow. "I don't suppose you can get us to safety?"

The bird shook her head. "He's too heavy for me. I'm sorry."

"Yvonne!"

The others turned to see Lizzie screaming up at the battle above, her words just getting lost in the wind. She turned towards them, her glasses askew and her hair wild. "We need to help her! She's on her own up there!"

Alasdair turned back. "We need to help Joel first."

"But Yvonne is-"

"There's nothing we can do. She's the only one of us who can fight at the moment."

Lizzie clenched her fists, with Mynahmon watching, concerned. "Lizzie..."

"I thought she was your _friend!_ "

In a sudden burst of anger and strength, Lizzie hoisted Alasdair up and slammed him against the rock wall by the scruff of his neck, to the shock and panic of the others. Rachel gasped, and stumbled, nearly going over the edge but holding herself just in time.

" _What the hell do you think you're doing?"_

Alasdair reached up, trying to wrench Lizzie's arms away, but the girl was stronger than she looked, and she held firm. " _DO something! She's your friend isn't she? She cares far more about you than she should so do something!_ "

"I said there's nothing we can _DO_! She's the only one of us who _can_ fight at the minute! I need to help the boy who got hurt 'cause _you_ didn'tget him away in time!"

Lizzie stammered. "T-t-t-that wasn't my fault!"

"It sure wasn't his!"

Lizzie gritted her teeth, and pressed harder against the wall. "She's in danger! Do you want her to die up there?"

"We're _all_ in danger, Lizzie! I'm trying to save who I can right now! Why the hell are you so fixated on Yvonne?"

" _'Cause she's all I've got!_ " Lizzie yelled, and threw Alasdair back, bringing her hands up to her head as she stood in the rain. "I need her! She's the only one who kept me safe and now she's the one in danger! She's...she's the only friend I have...and I kept on going with her because I didn't want to let go...I didn't want her to leave me and hang around with people like _you_. She's nearly died once, and I can't see her nearly die again."

She broke off, her shoulders heaving, and glared up at Alasdair. The boy was staring, holding one shoulder. Lucy and Rachel were looking too, their gazes penetrating even in the darkness. Lizzie looked between them. "What? What are you all looking at me for?"

"People like me?"

Lizzie turned back to Alasdair who brought a hand up and held it against his own cheek.

"People like us?"

Lizzie opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come. Alasdair took a step forwards, and she flinched, holding up her arms, ever so slightly. Alasdair stopped.

"Is that it? Are you scared of me, Lizzie?"

Still no answer. Alasdair swallowed, and turned away, kneeling back down at Joel's feet. Lizzie took a step forwards. "I'm...I'm sorry..."

"Don't be. I need to take care of my friend."

The boy didn't even turn around, leaving Lizzie staring at nothing. She reached out with a hand, searching for something – anything – but the person wasn't there. The sounds of battle still raged atop the high tower; sword against claw, flame against flame.

Down below, Lizzie felt the rain still beating down upon her. Yvonne wasn't there for her. Not this time. She was alone.

Mynahmon shuffled forwards, her feathers drenched from the rain. "Lizzie?"

The girl's head fell, and she turned, looking down into the chasm. Her feet were planted together, and she put her palms over her mouth, tears welling.

" _What am I doing..."_

" **Slate Shrapnel!** "

The children gasped as sharp pellets shot out of nowhere, penetrating the wall behind them. Lizzie yelled and stepped back as the rock beneath her feet opened up, revealing Oligomon's cackling body.

"Well well, I thought I might find you all here." He turned, staring up at the pedestal, and the flames flying from the top. "You're all nuisances. If I take you out of the equation, that'll get me into the boss's good books. And I can take your precious little device for myself."

" **Floral Burst!** "

The distracted worm hiccupped as Mynahmon flapped her wings behind him, showering him with razor-sharp petals that dug into his skin. He turned, grinding his teeth. "You're all beginning to annoy me."

With a serpentine movement he snapped up at the bird, who just barely flapped out the way. She attacked again, keeping her distance, but she was far from the stronger fighter. Lizzie backed away, looking between the fight, and the others behind her. They sat huddled, with the exception of Alasdair, who was stood up, holding his arms out. His eyes fell on the girl, but he said nothing.

Another explosion from the pedestal, and another rain of fire amidst the drizzle. Mynahmon was caught off guard, and she ducked lower than intended. Low enough for Oligomon to strike.

"Gotcha!"

The bird squawked, but the worm had his prey by the wing, and he shook his head, causing her to cry out in pain. "You should have died back then! You'll be the first."

"Get off _of_ _HER!"_

Without reason, or warning, Lizzie found herself running, her arms widening and her stance lowering as she rushed towards the serpent. She crashed into him at full pelt, sending him reeling backwards, and he gagged, releasing his hold on the bird's abdomen. Mynahmon flapped upwards, just out of reach. Below her, the earthworm was already writhing, his coils wrapping around Lizzie's body, but she was stronger than she let on, and Oligomon's body, ideal for slipping through the tiniest of tunnels, was nonetheless struggling on the wet rock. He lashed his tail, which suddenly broke free of the rock wall, leaving him dangling over the long drop that he himself had created. He gnashed his teeth, and chomped down on Lizzie's shoulder. She stepped forwards.

Mynahmon flew down, hovering in front of her face. "Lizzie, what are you doing?"

"No! Stop!"

Lizzie turned her head, seeing Alasdair on his feet, looking all around. The girl shook her head.

"You need to help Joel. You need to get yourselves away from here."

"Please, you don't need to-"

Lizzie smiled, closing her eyes.

"I'm sorry. You know she'd do the same."

She gritted her teeth, and pressed against the rock, pushing both her and Oligomon over the edge.

* * *

Jiminymon flinched, although she wasn't sure why, and she looked behind her. "I've come on my own. Everybody else is...back at the pillars."

Dallurmon was silent for a few seconds. Then he turned back to Phorusrhamon. "Guard the fortress. Use your skills; take the children down where they stand. They will not reach the keep."

"My lord."

Jiminymon flinched, aware of Phorusrhamon's gaze on her briefly. The bird left the room, leaving only the cricket, feeling impossibly small in Dallurmon's presence. However the giant was calm; at least, he appeared to be.

"You mean a lot to the senior administrator."

"She means a lot to me."

Dallurmon reached out, running his hand down a wall. "I remember you. You thought it prevalent to bring the children to me, ignorant as you were." He tilted his head. "So you no longer remain loyal to those creatures-"

"They're not...creatures."

Jiminymon shuffled as she felt the intense eyes upon her, unable to return the gaze. She carried on though.

"They have their own desires, and feelings, and their own lives. They're humans. They talk like us and think like us; they're not just...vermin..."

Dallurmon clenched his teeth. "Are you still here to reason?"

"I'm here to understand." Jiminymon finally looked up, and her pupils were shaking. "I've followed you for this long. There must...be a reason why. Why they can't return."

Her wings fluttered, and she took a step forward. "Lord Dallurmon, what is so crucial that the children must die?"

Dallurmon exhaled. For a moment he looked at his palm; every line worn deep from past battles. Then he lowered his arm. "Child, are you aware of why the keep is in this place? Why I must remain here? Have you seen the wall between worlds?"

Jiminymon faltered, but shook her head. "N...no, my lord."

The giant's hand drifted over to a panel next to the great door at the end of the office, and he pressed his hand in. Slowly, the door opened, revealing a mysterious aura beyond.

"I dedicated myself to protecting this place. Everything I've done here, I've done to preserve the peace, and to build a world with no harm. But moreso, I've done to prevent catastrophe. None of you needed to know."

Dallurmon held out his palm to the cricket.

"But if you so wish to understand my burden, then come with me..."

* * *

Strikedramon grunted in laughter as he hopped backwards, away from Khrysomamon's sword strikes. He spun round, and brought one of his heavy trident claws with him in a massive hook, but it connected with Khrysomamon's horn, the impact rattling back through both their bodies.

" **Burning Blade!** "

Khrysomamon swivelled the sword around and lunged, the metal setting alight and lapping at Strikedramon's skin. The dragon man brought his head down, catching the metal with his mask, before spinning and throwing a brutal kick at the ram's neck, sending him clopping backwards.

"You're good. Real good. I haven't had a challenge like you in years."

The sheep grunted, and ran around striking again but having the blow glanced off by a metal claw. The two were evenly matched, it seemed. Although he had the sneaking suspicion that Strikedramon was holding back. His body had been cut and bruised, but he still held an adrenaline fuelled grin on that tapered snout. Khrysomamon snorted. "A challenge? Aren't you supposed to be protecting the peace?"

"A guy's gotta have hobbies. Dallurmon doesn't know. He wouldn't care anyway, traitors like you."

Strikedramon hopped on his toes, before leering forwards, bringing his arm up. Khrysomamon dodged, but it was a feint, as the dragon man's other claw came out of nowhere and caught the ram on the side of the head, sending him staggering to one side. Strikedramon let out a breath of steam, as the metal of his head cooled down, and he turned his attention to the corner of the pedestal. "A shame you can't go all out, isn't it?"

Khrysomamon cursed inwardly. It was true. He kept having to throw glances to one side, as George was still there, crouching, with his body firmly between the battle and the D-Port.

" **Strike Fang!** "

The sheep only just reacted in time, his legs springing upwards and catching his opponent in a brutal headbutt. He twisted his sword in mid-air, preparing to bring it down with a mighty strike, but Strikedramon rolled away and the sword embedded itself in the rock. Khrysomamon's back flared up, providing temporary defense as he spun around, twisting the shaft away, but the immobilisation had given Strikedramon the advantage; he curved around, spinning his arms in a clothesline that hammered against Khrysomamon's skull.

" **Strike Claw!** "

With momentum behind it, the last blow struck hard, sending the sheep down. He rolled, his flames flaring up, and he heard a yell of pain. Getting to his feet in an instant, he was forced to bring his sword up again, pressing back against Strikedramon while he tried to look behind him. George had been caught by the flames, the top of his forearm scorched as he tried to tap the last of the flames out. He looked up, smiling weakly. "Don't worry about me!"

"Worry about me!"

Strikedramon pulled back unexpectedly, catching the sheep off balance. The dragon man threw his arms wide, and wrapped them around Khrysomamon in a bear-hug, driving him forwards towards the edge of the pedestal, with George right in the pathway.

"NO!"

Khrysomamon dug in, and George grabbed onto his flank and pushed with all his might. With the two of them together, they shifted the balance. Strikedramon's feet slipped. His grip loosened. With a great bleat, Khrysomamon heaved...and one of his hind legs slipped.

He recovered, but he knew he'd hit something. As his great power forced Strikedramon backwards, he looked backwards to see George reaching, his efforts futile. There was nothing either of them could do except watch as the D-Port tipped backwards, and into the chasm, trailing wires behind it.

* * *

Lizzie held tightly to Oligomon's body as she slid down the steep slope, their bodies tumbling together against the smooth rock. The roughness was painful, but brief, as soon enough they were past the slope and in freefall. Lizzie jolted, feeling a tension on her shoulders, and she heard the panicked flapping as Mynahmon, having grabbed her, was trying to pull her up.

"Come...on..."

Lizzie slowed, but she was too heavy. Her grip on Oligomon loosened, and with a quick flick he was out, burrowing back into the rock with a cackle. Mynahmon cawed breathlessly. "Grab...on..."

"Don't! You'll go down as well!"

"I'm not..."

"Look!"

As they descended, Lizzie pointed at the shining device up above, coming towards them with incredible speed. Her eyes widened as she realised what it was. "The D-Port!"

"It's mine!"

Oligomon's head burst out from below her, reaching out with open jaws as the device tumbled down, ready to catch it and steal it away for good. She reached out, but knew she could never reach it from where she was.

Mynahmon looked down, then looked up. She pressed her beak together. "Can you catch it?"

Lizzie closed her eyes. "I will."

" **Floral Burst!** "

Mynahmon flapped with all her might, using all her thrust to throw the two of them forwards, as Lizzie reached out with open arms. She felt the bird's grip on her shoulders disappear, and she looked up, the device all but upon her.

Oligomon's jaws crunched into her side.

Trailing spiralling blue particles above it, the device fell into her arms, and she pulled it close.

" _I'll do it."_

Oligomon's jaws closed around nothing as the girl disappeared from his grasp. He cursed, watching as the device tumbled down further, with Mynahmon in freefall beside it, her body beginning to glow.

* * *

" _They're nothing but trouble."_

 _The bird flew above a sea of torment._

 _Aggressive laughter. Harsh words. Even harsher hands. A man in a white coat, staring down, holding his hands around his daughter in comforting oppression._

 _"They're all out to hurt you."_

 _The bird spiralled round as people rushed past, but the man pulled the girl away from them again and again._

 _"Do as I say and they won't hurt you."_

 _Again and again, pulling the girl away. And again and again, the same comforting words._

 _"You don't need to know people like them."_

 _"You can't be friends with people like them."_

 _"You're better than people like them."_

 _The father dissipated, leaving the child standing alone, still moving away, avoiding every contact. The bird descended, and hovered just above, as a hand came out of nowhere. A smiling face. Bright eyes. Yvonne's hand clasped around the girl's and she took steps. One. Two. Just a little._

 _But Yvonne let go._

 _Mynahmon landed beside Lizzie, who was crouched up, watching it all take place. As Yvonne walked away, joining with the others, the light faded again._

 _"Dad always told me...I was better than her. I was better than all of them. But she was better than me. I always knew it. That's why I tried so hard to hold onto her."_

 _The darkness closed in, pressing down. The girl watched as the others moved further and further away._

 _"I was scared that if I let go, she'd never come back to me. I was scared that they'd take her away from me."_

 _The world became pitch black, and Lizzie's head fell into her lap._

 _"I'm a terrible person. They don't need me to help. They don't need me as a friend."_

 _Mynahmon hopped forwards._

" _I do."_

 _Lizzie looked up, and saw the bird smiling at her, cocking her head._

" _I like you. You're stronger than you want to believe. You know the right thing to do. I like you, Lizzie." She looked out, to where the light was rising once again. Lizzie turned to see the others, standing and waiting, waving towards her._

" _Thank you, Mynahmon."_

 _"What do we do now?"_

 _Lizzie stood up._

 _"I'll join the fight. My friends are waiting on the other side."_

" _All of them."_

* * *

Lucy saw the blue flash first, and pointed, turning to the others. "Down there!"

Rachel had her hands over her mouth, shaking her head. "It can't be...it can't be gone..."

"Hush." Alasdair placed a hand on the girl's head, crouching down. "Wait for it...she's stronger than that."

"Look!"

"Mynahmon, Soul Interlock!"

"Evolution Activate!"

There was a burst of blue light, illuminating the rain, and the three stepped back, holding their hands against the rock wall. Seconds passed by, feeling like hours, as the blue light faded. Then, just as their hope was about to dissipate, something flew up from below with lightning speed. The figure thrust her wings open, and turned to face the others on the cliff.

Mynahmon had changed shape completely; more humanoid now than bird. She was the smallest of the evolutions by far, only slightly larger than a normal-sized man, but she held herself tall. Her plumage was more marvellous than ever; broad royal-blue wings that spread out either side from her shoulders, with trails of blue down her back and sides, as if she wore a longcoat, with the ends tapering off into eyes like the tail of a peacock. Beneath that were feathers of scarlet, orange and yellow, billowing out in dazzling flame-like patterns. Her forearms and lower legs were the only parts of her body uncovered in feathers, with hooked claws at the end; sharp, yet dextrous. Red feathers like the centre of a lily fell down from her head like locks of hair, and a large orange crest was folded over her face, covering most of her features, aside from her deep, piercing green eyes. She was a sight to behold; elegant yet deadly.

"Paradismon!"

She spread her wings, and leapt forwards, clutching the edge of the cliff and fluttering to balance herself. It was then that Rachel saw what she'd been carrying.

"The D-Port! You saved it!"

"Only just. It's a little worse for wear." Paradismon straightened up, and addressed the others. "Let's get you all out of here."

It took two trips, both of which were calculated and careful due to the fractured D-Port and Joel's condition. But Paradismon was quick, flying in short bursts with a child in each arm, hopping from cliff to cliff almost effortlessly. Within minutes the children were off the cliff, back with their partners on more solid ground. The sprite nodded at Alasdair. "Get everyone to another shelter. I'll join you soon."

"Where are you going?"

Paradismon winked, as she rose up towards the towering pedestal above.

"Where do you think?"

* * *

" **Golden Wildfire!** "

Khrysomamon stumbled as he landed, the blaze spreading out behind him, but it did little to Strikedramon, who rolled out of the way, the flames only lapping at his face. He brushed them away, and grinned, letting steam out through his teeth.

"You're getting slow, renegade."

Khrysomamon tuend, bringing his sword up as Strikedramon rushed forwards with both claws, but he only deflected one blow. The other caught him in the centre of the helmet, disorientating him.

"You've fought well. But you never stood a chance against me."

Through the pain, the ram laughed. "You really thought you were my target?"

Strikedramon tilted his head, frowning as Khrysomamon circled him. "I saw you battling the others. You didn't care about them; you only cared about getting a good fight. As long as you've been here with me, you've left the others alone." The ram looked up. "And I think it's paid off."

Strikedramon turned, as Paradismon rose up over the pedestal, her plumage glistening from the rain. She nodded at the sheep. "They're safe. They're away from here."

George pumped his fists a little, and Khrysomamon smiled. Paradismon thought she could see a little bit of Yvonne staring out at her through those sapphire eyes.

Strikedramon hissed, and wiped some blood from his mouth. "Damn that Oligomon...He is utterly useless." He straightened up, and punched his chest with both claws. "Come on then! We'll finish this either way! I'll take you both on!"

Paradismon's hands went to her back, and suddenly she was brandishing two impossibly thin ornate daggers with bejewelled handles, the blades etched with the patterns of a feather. She tilted, hovering for a second, before spinning forwards at a blinding speed.

" **Eden Stiletto!** "

A flurry of razor petals caught Strikedramon in the face, and he rolled out of the way as the bird woman shot past him, one of her daggers opening up his shoulder. He cursed, and watched her arc back around, but her speed surpassed even his. He opened his claw, the metal glowing white-hot.

" **Strike Fang!** "

"Out of the way!"

Khrysomamon rushed forwards, bringing his horns up and directly into Strikedramon's muscular chest. The dragon-man went down, but he leapt to his feet again, grappling with the ram's horns.

"Come on, _come on!_ "

He lashed out with a foot, and immediately turned to have one of Paradismon's daggers pierce his cheek. He ducked, and countered with a sweeping arm that knocked her off balance. The two traded blows, with Paradismon whittling away with feints and rapid strikes, while just barely avoiding crunching blows and brutal kicks from the far stronger opponent.

" **Strike Claw!** "

The blow glanced off her shoulder, and she spun up into the air, twisting the daggers in her hands.

" **Eden Stiletto!** "

Paradismon arced round, her movements impeccable and her agility phenomenal, and she caught Strikedramon in the back. He turned, letting out a roar of pain, but he was too late to stop Khrysomamon's charge.

" **Burning Blade!** "

The flaming longsword entered his chest, bursting from his back. He choked, and staggered back, pulling himself away from the blade. His whole body was steaming now, too hot to even bleed. Paradismon hovered down next to Khrysomamon, and the two of them watched as he stumbled back.

"You're gonna see Dallurmon, right?"

He grinned, and his feet stumbled on the edge of the pedestal.

"Give him hell for me."

He fell backwards, and his broken body was lost to the pillars. Paradismon landed, sheathing her daggers. "Who was he?"

Khrysomamon shook his head. "Someone else we'll never know."

"Um...excuse me?"

The two turned, and saw George waving at them. The boy smiled sheepishly. "Can you get us down now?"

* * *

Jiminymon felt a chill in her exoskeleton as the plasmic entity reached out, energy surging through it. Dallurmon stood back, grimacing.

"As it gets closer, it gets worse." He glanced down at the cricket, who was staring. "Take a good look, child. This is the fragility of our world right now."

Jiminymon didn't answer. She just stared at the wall between worlds; an ever-moving, ever shifting wall of liquid crystal, through which she could see another place. A world so similar, yet different in its very makeup. She tried to reach out and touch it, but an unseen force drove her back, rejecting her. Yet at this distance she could see the cracks in the corners of the seal, and through the images of another beautiful world, she could make out terrifying images of something else entirely.

Dallurmon clenched his fist. "The wall must be protected. Conserved. Nobody knows what would infect our world if this was to shatter."

The cricket looked up. "Have you been here all this time?"

"I discovered it. The decay is recent, but the wall has been constant, albeit growing all the more." Dallurmon gestured around the study, at lines and lines of parchments. "Once I was like you. I wanted to know more. I watched intently, writing down the events behind. Learning what I could about that world. But the more I saw, the more it scared me. The more they terrified me."

"Humans?"

The giant stepped back. "I saw...fire. Raining from the sky, from great metal contraptions. Violence and terror unlike anything I ever saw in our world. These creatures looked so alike, yet they would kill each other so easily. And then...they began to knock. And the cracks began to form. And through one of those cracks, a few have finally arrived." He pointed at one in the corner, which pulsed with light, as if in response. "They should never have come. Any trace of them must be disposed of."

Jiminymon looked down at the floor, her pupils darting back and forth. "But...they're living beings..."

"They are primitive. They are beneath us." Dallurmon knelt down, placing his palm over the insect's back. "I understand your pain, but there is nothing to save. They are mere vermin. They know no other way."

Jiminymon flinched. "I...I..."

"Do you understand now, my child?"

Jiminymon was shaking now, holding her body close to the floor and feeling the presence of the giant above her, as he waited, silently and patiently.

"Dallurmon..."

* * *

The children and the Digimon regrouped behind the new pillars, as the sun began to poke its head over the horizon. Yvonne and Arimon were tired out, but none the worse for wear, all things considered. Lizzie threw her arms around her as soon as she landed, mostly blubbering and apologising, but their reunion was brief. Yvonne rushed over as soon as she saw Joel, with Alasdair shaking his head. "It's not good."

Lizzie peered over Alasdair's shoulder, her cheeks slightly flushed. "Damn it."

The boy leant back, peering back at her. "It wasn't your fault. Really, you...we were all stressed back there." He smiled. "Besides, you did save us all. Finally, one of us can fly. That would have been useful beforehand."

Chupamon ran his hand over his face. " _Tell you what; Yagamon would be useful right about now."_

"Yagamon..." Yvonne nudged Lizzie. "Didn't she give you something?"

Lizzie's eyes widened, and her hands went to her breast pocket, pulling out one of the little blue stones. Rachel frowned. "What is it?"

"Yagamon was using them earlier. Maybe..." The girl stepped forwards, and leant down, shuddering a little at the sight of Joel's head wound. She thought for a minute, then rubbed the stone in her hand, crushing it into a rough dust.

"My dad's a doctor, but he never used anything like this. This, uh, might hurt."

That was an understatement. Joel woke up gasping and wincing as Lizzie kneaded the powder over his forehead, but immediately his cuts began to heal over and the swelling died down, the skin pixellating slightly. Lizzie pulled back, slightly repulsed but at the same time slightly proud. Joel lay there for a moment, seeming somewhat stunned. Then he looked up at the girl, who blushed.

"Was that you?"

"Not really. That was a guess."

Joel pouted, and looked away. He muttered under his breath. "Thanks..."

Alasdair laughed, putting a hand on Lizzie's shoulder. "If you were being this useful from the start, we could have got here in half the time."

Lizzie went red, and suddenly put her hands together. "I'm sorry!"

The boy blinked, as Lizzie blurted out profuse apologies. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said...anything like that but it's...I...I'm sorry I was wrong and-"

Alasdair held up a palm, gently hushing her. "It's okay, it's okay. And thank you. Really."

George stepped forwards, looking around. "Um...where's Jiminymon?"

Lizzie's face fell, and she became aware of everybody looking towards her. "Jiminymon...she's-"

"There you are!"

The group turned to see Oligomon, half buried in the rock as he leered at them. Wyvermon sighed. "Not you again...didn't we already kick your arse?"

Oligomon tutted, swaying back and forth and grinning smarmily. "Correction; you've been wasting your time. And now we really know how you fight."

The ground began to shake, knocking everyone off their feet, and they stared in horror as the leering form of Groundramon rose up behind Oligomon; giant claws, mace tail; the lot. He chuckled, and took in a deep breath. "It's a good morning."

Oligomon chuckled. "There you are, Groundramon! I found them! They're weak; you can destroy them all. It's perfect!"

"Perfect?" Groundramon shrugged. "Well...nearly..."

The worm jerked as the dragon's claw curled around him, hoisting him clear of the ground. "Urgh...what are you...you're crushing me..."

"That's the idea."

Oligomon went white as a sheet, and began squirming, babbling away in the giant beast's hand. " _I don't understand...I brought them to you..."_

"Oh shut up!" Groundramon grinned. "You did nothing of the sort! You're nothing but a liability; a traitor and a terrible worker to boot. You're only one use to me now..."

The dragon's great claw-wings pressed against the ground as he brought his other claw up, grasping Oligomon by the head and pulling. The children watched in horror as the Ultimate level held the worm in his claws, Oligomon's terrified babbling muffled and inaudible.

 _SNAP_

The worm's body broke in two, and Groundramon clenched his fists, the body exploding immediately into red data. He closed his eyes, and breathed in, the red dust flowing into his scales, his mouth, throughout his body.

He reared up, and stared down at the ever-so-small group before him, his teeth pulled back in a demonic grin.

"Now...time for you to die! **Giga Crack!** "

The great dragon laughed as he slammed his claws into the earth, shaking the ground to the core. The children ran, dragging their companions as fast as they could as fissures snaked between their feet. As rocks burst out, Yvonne and Alasdair found themselves ducking behind one of them, already out of breath.

"We can't run from him." Alasdair peered back. "He's too big. Too powerful."

Yvonne peered down at Arimon, who was next to her, clutching his dagger tightly. He looked up, shaking his head. "We can try. But there's little we can do."

"No. We can fight. We'll do what we can."

"What about George? Or the D-Port? If that gets broken you'll never get home."

The earth rumbled again, and Rachel and Lizzie rushed over, the taller girl carrying the D-Port close to her chest. It was clattering, the energy within reaching ridiculous levels. Alasdair looked up.

"There are six of us now. We can put up a fight..."

Rachel blinked. "It doesn't sound like much of a plan."

"It's all we've got."

Yvonne nodded, but Lizzie held out a hand. "Not again-"

The girl shrugged. "You've gotta learn to trust me, Lizzie. We've got this."

"Found you!"

The children sprinted again as Groundramon slammed a huge claw-wing down, leaving an imprint in the earth. He tutted, and swung his head high. "Are you spent? Have you got nothing else to show me? Pitiful."

" **Depth Charge!** "

" **Jewel Rush!** "

" **Bright Barrage!** "

" _ **Crimson Spikes!**_ _"_

The dragon frowned, and looked down at the attacking Rookies, almost with a look of mirth on his face. "Truly pitiful."

Wyvermon grinned, and dug his claws in. "You want to see more? We'll gladly oblige."

The D-Port burst into life once again, rattling worryingly but brewing an immense storm of energy within. The four Digimon sprinted, taking advantage of Groundramon's slow movements as they rushed either side of him.

Yvonne and Alasdair peered to one side, where Lucy and Joel were staring at them, waiting for the signal. Joel clenched his jaw, trying to numb the pain in his head.

Rachel clutched the sides of the device as it threatened to blow itself apart. "Now!"

"Wyvermon, Soul Interlock!"

"Arimon, Soul Interlock!"

"Placomon, Soul Interlock!"

" _Chupamon, Soul Interlock!"_

The torrent of energy burst forth; red and yellow, pink and purple, all swirling together and reaching out towards the four children, who held their arms out as one, vanishing in a trice. Groundramon watched as the energy spiralled up into the sky, split into four, and rained down on each partner in turn. They grew in a matter of seconds, the almighty bond bringing them new life. New power.

"Fafnirmon!"

"Khrysomamon!"

"Osteomon!"

" _Ahuizomon!"_

The light overwhelmed Groundramon for a split-second, giving Fafnirmon a chance to rush forwards. But something was wrong. He slowed, and glanced around him. There were only four of them.

Behind the rocks, Rachel grasped the sides of the device, grinding her teeth. Lizzie leaned over. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Ow!" Rachel pulled her hand back, and pointed. "It's smoking! It's stopped working again!"

"Do you think I don't see you there?"

Groundramon licked his lips, and turned his attention to the rocks. He raised a claw and brought it down, sending immense cracks rushing towards them, catching up.

"How sad; has it all gone wrong?"

 _"_ _ **Abominable Snare!**_ _"_

Groundramon noticed himself sinking, and looked down to see himself standing in the centre of a symbol on the ground, his immense bulk sinking downwards. He pulled a paw out, but it was like quicksand, and his weight was making him fall all the faster.

" **Emerald Luster!** "

The dragon looked up as a torrent of jewelled scaled rushed past his face, biting into his skin, followed swiftly by Fafnirmon's body, as the far smaller dragon wrapped his serpentine body around Groundramon's neck and clamped his teeth into his flesh.

Lizzie, George and Rachel looked up as Khrysomamon appeared before them in a flash of orange and yellow. "Go! Get the D-Port out of here; go to the keep. We'll keep this guy busy."

Lizzie stood up, clenching her fists. "I can't leave you again..."

Khrysomamon smirked, and for a brief moment Lizzie could see Yvonne's golden irises in those giant eyes.

"It's four against one. How hard can it be?" He turned serious for a moment, looking down at George. "Head to the keep. Try and get inside if you can, and find Jiminymon. And keep yourselves safe. Neonamon, can you show them the way?"

"Of course." The snake looked down. "I want to see Jiminymon myself..."

The three children weren't happy, but they nodded, having little other choice. Lizzie pulled the steaming device over her back, and Neonamon slithered up George's body, balancing himself on his shoulder.

Over on the pillars, Groundramon and Fafnirmon were still tussling tightly. The earth dragon stole a glance upwards, noticing the other three children running away, straight towards the spiralling tower. He sighed. "Ah damn...Phorusrhamon's gonna give me hell for this..."

In a sudden movement, he twisted his neck and brought his skull down, pounding Fafnirmon's body into the ground below him. The serpent unravelled, beginning to sink himself, but with an almighty thrust from his flightless wings the earth dragon pulled himself free, leaping and landing outside of the sigyl with an immense impact. All four Champions were facing him down; Khrysomamon with the blade, Osteomon with the claws, Ahuizomon rising from the solidifying ground, and there, Fafnirmon, back on his feet, his scales shimmering in the morning light.

Groundramon sneered. "You really think you have a chance after what you've just been through?"

Fafnirmon pawed the ground, his scales shimmering in the sunlight.

"We've only just begun..."

With a roar that resonated across the entire plateau, Groundramon charged. The rock split as he slammed his huge bulk downwards, sending seismic waves all around that shook his four opponents to the core. He snarled, and swung his tail mace at Fafnirmon, who ducked out of the way, scuttling to the side.

" **Tidal Pressure!** "

A torrent of water erupted from between the fissures, striking Groundramon with enough force to shift him back, although not by much. The dragon turned, digging his hind legs in and bringing a great claw-wing in to guard, but Osteomon had marched forwards and she struck with her bone gauntlet, the blow digging beneath the scales. Groundramon hissed, and swiped with the other, deflecting the sea monster's second blow and forcing her backwards.

"You're out of your depth, freak!"

Osteomon noticed too late the pistons in his elbows drawing back, and was caught full in the chest by both claws at once, the pistons slamming forwards and amplifying the blow. She staggered back, reeling, and watching as the great claw wing swung in a wide arc towards her.

 _"Are we all freaks to you?"_

Groundramon's wing suddenly felt heavy, and he looked up to see Ahuizomon clutched onto it, claws digging in as he stared down at the dragon with those soulless eyes.

"Get off of me!"

" _ **Spiral Requiem!**_ _"_

Ahuizomon spun himself into a red tornado around the wing, ripping the scales away in a flurry of blood. Groundramon yelled, and thrust the appendage back, interrupting Ahuizomon's attack and nearly flinging him off. The demon slithered around, trying to find a safe spot but with the great dragon making it rather difficult.

" **Scrapless Claw!** "

Both claw-wings folded in at once, slamming together in a fashion that would have crushed Ahuizomon outright had he still been in between. The good news was that he'd managed to narrowly escape, rushing behind the dragon. The bad news was his current proximity to Groundramon's mighty tail mace.

" **Megaton Hammer Crush!** "

It was a direct hit; Ahuizomon was sent rolling cross the ground, his spindly arms wrapped around the heavy blow to his abdomen. Groundramon laughed, and reared up, cocking his piston arms once again and swinging his tail. "You are all insects to the will of Dallurmon!"

Khrysomamon and Fafnirmon lined themselves up side by side, blocking his path to the fallen Ahuizomon. Fafnirmon growled. "Dallurmon? A true leader would never condone this sadism."

Groundramon smirked. "Maybe. But power brings its own authority. There's nothing you can do to me. **Scrapless Claw!** "

Both claw-wings shot forwards, but Fafnirmon's tail whipped out, deflecting them away. Khrysomamon rushed forwards, sword held high. " **Burning Blade!** "

The arc of fire came down, and Groundramon brought his claw up, but the sheep bounded away, pulling his sword back before the blow. The dragon frowned.

"A feint?"

" **Serpent Scourge!** "

Groundramon's eyes darted down as Fafnirmon's body spun upwards in a wheel, the claws and shimmering scales ripping into him as he spun. The larger dragon roared, and brought a claw down, cracking the earth, but Fafnirmon coiled around him, bringing both claws around his neck and wrenching his head to one side, where Osteomon was waiting with a primed claw. The sea monster slammed her fist forwards, slamming into Groundramon's skull and cracking his horn.

" _ARGH!"_

The dragon reared up and flung his body down into the rock, opening up new fissures as he forced his way underground, very nearly crushing both Fafnirmon and Osteomon. Half-buried, Groundramon turned around and came rushing out, spinning his tail as he did so.

" **Megaton Hammer Crush!** "

" **Burning Blade!** "

Khrysomamon leapt from out of sight, his blade raised again, and this time the attack was true; the red-hot metal sliced into the thick flesh of Groundramon's tail, cutting deep, but not entirely. Still, it was enough of a shock for the mace's trajectory to run wild, missing its targets by a wide margin and sending Groundramon's rear half careening to one side, spraying blood as the momentum of the mace caused the tail yet more damage.

" _BASTARDS!"_

Khrysomamon backed up a safe distance, looked around for any sign of his sword, which had fallen out in the attack. "Come on...come on..."

" _You'll pay for this!_ _ **Giga Crack!**_ _"_

Khrysomamon bleated as Groundramon slammed his body down, opening up new fissures and nearly sending him down into the earth. Groundramon whipped his head around, and began charging, each movement causing him more pain in his tail. Still, despite his size he was terrifyingly fast, and he was on the stuck sheep in an instant.

" **Giga Crack!** "

" _ **Abominable Snare!**_ _"_

The ground liquefied, freeing Khrysomamon who bounded away, but Groundramon was less lucky; his body slammed downwards into the trap, which immediately sealed around him, with Ahuizomon's claws reaching out, wrapping around his arms, legs and tail, digging into the wound. Groundramon struggled, thrashing and writhing, and nearly threatening to pull the demon from the ground again. But his attack had been successful. Groundramon was in place.

" **Emerald Luster!** "

" **Tidal Pressure!** "

" **Golden Wildfire!** "

Groundramon couldn't move as the attacks rained down upon him, each one striking true. He roared in pain, pushing himself free of Ahuizomon's grip and lumbering forwards, each of his footsteps causing more minor tremors. He turned, and stretched out his wings, glaring at the others in turn. The attacks had left their mark; great swathes of his scales had been wrenched away from his body in patches, leaving red-raw flesh bubbling beneath from the fire and water. One eye was half-closed, having taken a direct hit. He ground his teeth, his entire upper body in pain.

"What manner of monsters _are_ you..."

There was a quiet _whoosh_ as Ahuizomon rematerialized, catching his breath amongst the others. " _We have more power than you understand. You'd do best to run."_

Groundramon's good eye narrowed. "I have a duty. And it will be my pleasure to carry it out." He raised his body up, ignoring the waves of pain through his arms and shoulders, and pulled his arm pistons back again, pointing them directly below him with all the power he could muster.

" **Giga Crack!** "

* * *

Rachel felt the tremors beneath her feet as she ran, stopping herself from looking back. To one side, Lizzie kept pace, with Mynahmon up above and the D-Port in her arms. To her other side, George was barely managing, holding Neonamon on one shoulder. The snake looked up at the fortress as they got ever closer, frowning.

"They've set off the alarm. They know we're here."

Marsuamon bounded up, rolling her neck as she did so. "We can take 'em. What are we looking at?"

"More than three of us could handle." Neonamon pouted. "Even if George could evolve."

The boy cursed under his breath, and the snake blinked. "Sorry...I didn't mean..."

"Where's Jiminymon? Shouldn't we find her?"

Lizzie peered over, her expression difficult to read through the run. "George, she..."

"I know, you said." The boy slowed, shaking his head. "I just...thought we could get through to her. How can she still love Dallurmon so much?"

Neonamon swallowed, and changed the subject. "I can take you all round the back. I know a secret way inside; only a few of us know about it."

Now the other two stopped, and stared at the snake, who flushed a little, feeling the pressure upon him. Marsuamon tilted her head. "You know an awful lot for somebody who's just an intern."

"I...uh...pay attention."

His frill flicked, and his eyes turned towards the main gate. "The guards...quickly!"

They rushed forwards, the great spire looming up above. Now all of them could hear it; a deep, booming horn inside, and a lot of commotion. Lizzie closed her fists, her hand hovering over the button of the D-Port. "Is this going to work?"

"The wall between worlds is in Dallurmon's study. We'll have to meet him sooner or later." Neonamon's eyes darted left and right, before he turned back to the girl. "Our best bet is to clear the way for the others."

Rachel held her body against the wall, edging around according to his instructions. She seemed deep in thought; so much so that George nudged her. "What is it?"

"I don't get it. If Dallurmon wants us dead, why wouldn't he send everyone he has?"

Neonamon turned around. "Because he has."

"All those Digimon inside and they can't all rush us at once?"

"They're admins. Not fighters. Dallurmon's world is a world of peace; true adept fighters in this region are few and far between. That's what's making you such a spanner in the works." The little snake giggled. "It's his own fault, really."

He held his body up, in a signal for them all to stop. "There. It's underneath the overhang."

It certainly was; a narrow opening in the wall, far too thin for someone of Dallurmon's girth to fit through. But certainly enough for three children. Rachel gently stepped forwards. "Is it safe?"

Lizzie looked to the side. "It's chaos in there, Rachel. Nowhere's safe."

"Don't be mean."

Mynahmon hovered forwards, peering around the corner. "I don't see how we could have a problem here-"

" **Silent Sniper!** "

The bird shot away with a squawk, trailing chopped feathers as a spike shot past the entrance, straight towards the children. They ducked, Marsuamon being their saviour as she jumped up, narrowly elbowing it out of the way, though not without slicing open her shoulder. The children rushed back, as Phorusrhamon stepped out of her cover, her half-ruined face twisted in fury.

"You will not take one step closer to either my lord or my subject."

Neonamon blinked. "You knew about this place?"

"I know things about Dallurmon's keep that even he doesn't."

"Seems a not-very-loyal thing to know."

Phorusrhamon's wings shimmered. "That's rich. Coming from a traitor. Jiminymon has no more need of you, serpent. Lord Dallurmon will-"

"Oh shut up!"

The others turned to Marsuamon, who had her arms folded, grinding her teeth. "Dallurmon this, Dallurmon that; why don't you marry him? Can't see he's a tyrant and a moron."

George cleared his throat. "I, uh, think you might have made her angry."

"Good. I'm done with talking anyway." The wallaby brushed her nose, and looked back at Rachel. "Is it ready yet?"

The girl felt the warm metal, and nodded, bracing herself.

"Fire it up!"

The two girls closed their eyes, and the D-Port responded, sending out orange and blue trails that pulled them in simultaneously, before reaching out towards their partners.

"Marsuamon, Soul Interlock!"

"Mynahmon, Soul Interlock!"

George stepped back, holding Neonamon close as the two Digimon morphed in front of him, growing in size and power. Phorusrhamon was unfazed; bladed feet clicking against the rock, she stepped forwards, rippling her feathers and breathing heavily.

"I won't let you kill this world."

"Procoptomon!"

"Paradismon!"

George shrank back as the three warriors rushed forwards, with Neonamon whispering in his ear.

"This is gonna get messy."

* * *

"You're wrong! You...you have to be wrong... I can't believe that!"

Jiminymon took a few steps back, her wings trembling in fear as the giant stood up to his full height in front of her. "You may have watched humanity through the wall, but you could never have spoken to them. You could never have gotten to know them. These creatures...humans...children, they're just like us. They laugh, they cry, they feel fear and sorrow and pride and mirth just like we do. They're imperfect, just like us. And together...together we could unlock massive potential."

"Their presence will destroy this world."

"Only if we force it!" Jiminymon curled her feet. "If...if we just helped them return to their home...we could open up new possibilities..." She felt her voice cracking, but carried on regardless. "Please...they're only children..."

A touch of anger tainted Dallurmon's voice. "And once they return with others, what then? Their kind...there are those among them that would seek to destroy us!"

"There are those among ourselves who would do the same! Have you not seen the Nightmare Soldiers hiding from your cull? Didn't you see the willingness of your own subordinates to kill without mercy?"

"The children betray our order!"

"They only wish to be safe. Why can't you grant them that? Please!"

Dallurmon reached out suddenly, grasping the cricket around the neck and hoisting her off the ground. He marched back towards the main study, the metallic pool coming into view. "You poor, foolish child...if you had only seen what I had seen..."

"My lord...please..."

"Those creatures will end this world! I have seen it! I have sacrificed my own body to prevent it! And for the crime of their very presence, they must die for it!" He threw the bug down on the surface, where she skidded, looking around in panic as he raised a palm, his tattoos glowing purple.

"If you will not believe your ears, then you must see for yourself!"

"No!"

Dallurmon brought his hand down on the pool, and with a rush of clarity, Jiminymon's mind was flooded with the flames of the future.

* * *

 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	10. Episode 10: Into the Maelstrom

_**Digimon Inferno: Playing with Matches**_

 _ **Episode 10: Into the Maelstrom**_

* * *

The sounds of the battles echoed around the pillars of the Echo Quadrant; sounds of fracturing rock and splintering metal, clanging and crashing like nothing else. For those nearby, it gave them pause for thought, as they wondered what terrible thing was happening.

And for one lone figure nearby, it gave him a direction to go.

"Hang on, children..."

* * *

" **Razorwind Guillotine!** "

A flurry of blades flew in all directions as Phorusrhamon lashed out with both legs, catching Paradismon's wings. The sprite fell back, and the bird followed, only for Procoptomon to raise both arms, catching the arcing blade and knocking Phorusrhamon off her stride.

"Heathen!"

She jabbed out with her beak, but the kangaroo dodged. Another swipe with her leg, both wings, a feint and another lethal jab; she managed to graze the kangaroo's hide, but Procoptomon was quick, dodging more often than not. And as she did so, her movements became more fluid and her steps back grew faster. Eventually she was stuck against the wall, but moving more rapidly than before. Phorusrhamon lashed out with a blade, impaling the fortress, but Procoptomon ducked.

"Bad move, administrator."

Her head came forwards, knocking the bird back. She staggered, and Procoptomon began to blur, the momentum at a critical level within her.

" **Ceaseless Assault!** "

She struck; again, and again, her fists and legs a blur as she drove the bird backwards. Each hit was bruising, giving Phorusrhamon barely any time to move let alone to counter. Procoptomon's breath grew ragged, and she spun around at the last minute, slamming her fist into the bird's midriff.

" _That's_ for stabbing me in the fricking shoulder!"

Phorusrhamon coughed, and looked down at her chest; the armour was dented, not by much, but certainly noticeably. She glared upwards. "I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

She spun round, throwing up a blade to counter Paradismon's attack, but it was a bluff; a flurry of feathers cascading downwards as the sprite zipped behind her, daggers in hand.

" **Eden Stiletto!** "

The cut wasn't deep, but it caught Phorusrhamon's flesh beneath her armour. Paradismon floated up, forced to travel wide due to her speed, and the bird noticed her moment of vulnerability.

" **Silent Sniper!** "

A bladed feather shot forwards, gashing the sprite's leg. She cried out; a melancholy caw like that of a songbird, and barely managed to dodge Phorusrhamon's consecutive blows. The metal bird flew upwards, out of Procoptomon's reach as she swung a punch.

"You will never reach Lord Dallurmon!"

Procoptomon smirked beneath her mask, and wiped her snout. "You've been telling us that since the beginning. We're never gonna listen."

"Let us past, administrator." Paradismon rose, her daggers held out either side. "Please. End this resistance, now."

" **Silent Sniper!** "

Blade after blade shot outwards, some of them grazing Procoptomon's limbs and Paradismon's wings, but despite her skill Phorusrhamon could feel herself tiring. The two creatures before her had such immense determination; despite their lower levels they were proving an arduous challenge. Her eyes darted down towards George, hiding out of range, his arms around the juddering D-Port.

"Why, Jiminymon? Why would you follow these...these..."

She screeched, and rushed downwards, arms outstretched as she prepared to impale the only child not evolved. But it was a reckless charge. She was soon arcing away as Procoptomon's massive leg looped around in a roundhouse, connecting with her jaw. She shot sideways, and found herself hovering in the air, vulnerable.

" **Viridian Tempest!** "

Behind her, Paradismon thrust her daggers sideways, releasing arcs of blue and green energy that slammed into Phorusrhamon, whipping her up and spinning her around as if she'd been caught in a gale. She squinted with her good eye, but could do nothing, even as Procoptomon leapt up towards her, muscles straining beneath her skin.

" **Blindside Bruiser!** "

One blow sent Phorusrhamon spinning. The other caught her in the square of the back, sending her slamming into the ground with a crunch. She rolled over, leaping to her feet, but Paradismon shot past, her daggers slicing into the bird's exposed legs. She staggered back, crashing into the wall and looking up at her assailants.

"Dallurmon...I'm sorry..."

* * *

" **Giga Crack!** "

The ground was fractured, sending more rock and rubble tumbling downwards and threatening to send the four warriors down with it. Fafnirmon regained his balance, looked up, and gasped.

"Watch out!"

Groundramon was running at full charge, and he slammed into the smaller dragon, his jaws closing around his chest. Like a feral beast, the goliath threw his head from side to side, slamming Fafnirmon's body against the rock, before he threw him upwards, swatting him aside with one great sweep of his mighty claw wing.

"Get away from him!"

Osteomon rushed forwards, arms outstretched in an attempt to tackle the dragon, but she stumbled at the last minute, and a crushing blow from Groundramon's arm to her skull sent her sprawling.

" **Spiral Requiem!** "

" **Scrapless Claw!** "

Ahuizomon's charge was halted by Groundramon's two claw-wings, and he pressed them inwards, stopping Ahuizomon's spin in its tracks, He coiled downwards, damaged by his own assault, but Groundramon grabbed him and threw him sideways, right into Khrysomamon's path. The four Champions lay, stunned around him from the brutal assault, fuelled by anger and adrenaline. Groundramon merely laughed.

"Your power? Don't make me laugh! I am a warrior of Lord Dallurmon and he has given me power far surpassing yours! I am stronger than all of you; you shall never reach the keep!"

"Then why don't you take on somebody your own size..."

Groundramon flinched, and turned behind him, suddenly aware of a lone figure at the top of the pillars, striding towards them with purpose. The four Champions looked up as well, squinting to get a look at him. The great dragon merely sneered. "Who are you? You have no business being here."

"The children are my business. I would be remiss if I didn't come to their aid."

Khrysomamon struggled to his feet, grinning despite his wounds. "Geryomon...?"

The golem stopped, his expression as unreadable as always. But the ram knew he was smiling. There was a great tremor as Groundramon turned again, rushing towards the newcomer with fury in his eyes.

"Four opponents or five; it makes no difference to me! You will all be crushed!"

Geryomon raised his six hands, opening the palms and holding them out wide. For a brief moment energy crackled within them, then each hand produced a weapon; in three of them, a round, sharp-edged shield, and in the other three, a long, barbed spear. He shifted his limbs effortlessly, raising the shields towards the huge assailant in a perfect triangle.

" **Gygas Typhoon!** "

* * *

 _Flames._

 _Eternal flames._

 _A world devoured._

 _A world reborn._

 _A catastrophe, unlike anything seen before._

Jiminymon rose, gasping, her wings fluttering instinctively as she shook her head. But the horrifying visions would not leave. They would never leave. Not after that.

"Is it true...?"

She looked up.

"Is this what you see...every time...?"

Dallurmon didn't answer. He was staring out of the window, his tattoos swirling around him. They were bright purple. No, they were shifting. To pure, dazzling white. Jiminymon had heard of this happening, but had never seen it. Dallurmon was terrified.

"It's futile. My own people...it's utterly futile."

"Your...people...?"

Jiminymon hopped up, and peered out of the window. She gasped. "Procoptomon! Paradismon!" Her heart rose a little, although she didn't know why.

"Groundramon...Phorusrhamon...everyone...why do they fail me? Why... _NOW_...do they fail me?"

Jiminymon felt her shoulders tense up. She turned on her haunches, looking at the shivering figure before her.

"My lord...Dallurmon...?"

" _Useless_!"

Jiminymon squinted as Dallurmon marched away, his hand reaching out towards the wall, pressing a panel. The cricket held her breath. "They...they're still coming, even after all this..."

 _Click._

RUMBLE.

The insect jumped, and looked back to where Dallurmon was standing, his hand on the wall. His mouth was twisted in a strange expression, and his tattoos were flashing different colours; purple, red, white. She looked down again. "What have you done?"

"They will all die. If I cannot use those loyal to me, then I will use those I have enslaved."

Jiminymon paused, her eyes flickering back. "What...I don't-"

Dallurmon smiled. "Creatures lost in the dark, given new purpose. They have no purpose here; only a will to destroy. They can perform what those of the light cannot."

"Creatures...you mean... _Digimon?_ You've enslaved your own people? _"_ Jiminymon turned back.

Dallurmon lowered his hand, his face stern.

"Those monsters were never my people..."

* * *

The ground shook, setting Procoptomon off her balance. Phorusrhamon saw her chance and lashed out with a bladed foot, slicing into the kangaroo's arm.

"Argh!"

" **Razorwind Guillotine!** "

It was a weak spin, but it did the job; the two Champions scattered, and Phorusrhamon rose up again, extending all the feathers she could. Her eyes were wild, and on the brink of tears.

"Look, Dallurmon! I can...still fight!"

In the hiding place, Neonamon bit his lip on George's shoulder. "This doesn't look good."

"How come?"

"Have you noticed how misty it's getting?"

George blinked. It was. Not even mist, but thick, black vapours, streaming out seemingly from the wall they were again. He felt his head turn, and he put a hand over his mouth.

"Oh dear..."

The boy ran, but there was no escaping the mist as it grew thicker and thicker. He was dimly aware of Phorusrhamon still standing there; he was directly in his line of sight, but on closer inspection she wasn't paying attention. She, and her two opponents, were also feeling the effects of the vapours; staggering, and swaying. Phorusrhamon's eyes were wide now.

"I don't understand...I can still... _fight them_..."

The boy looked back, and where the wall had been there now seemed to be a dark void; the source of the mist, empty and foreboding. No...not empty. As his vision was slowly obscured, he could see two glowing red pinpricks, and he felt the ground shudder with the sound of immense, clattering footsteps.

" _ **Deadly Fear!**_ _"_

* * *

"A SkullBaluchimon."

Jiminymon stared down in horror at the horrific creature below; it was a mass of bones from which emanated the black vapours, and it stood taller than any Digimon she'd ever seen, rivalling Groundramon for size. It had two spiked wings, sabre teeth and an air of terrifying power.

Dallurmon stepped forwards, slowly. "It resisted. But any shred of decency it may have had was stripped out. I despise Nightmare Soldiers; they only cause trouble. But without the difficulties of emotion and free will, they can be useful."

Jiminymon looked away. "You were holding this... _thing?_ You created this thing? Why? I thought you wanted to make a better world!"

"You can't make a better world without sacrifice." Dallurmon stood next to the cricket, and looked down, his expression calm once again. "Nor can you save it."

 _"...Lord...Dallurmon..."_

"Phorusrhamon!" Jiminymon turned round. "Call it off! The senior administrator is still down there!"

Dallurmon said nothing, but Jiminymon reared up, clutching his palm. "Please! She'll die! She doesn't need to die!"

Her lord pulled his hand away, and looked down at her.

"She doesn't need to live, either."

Jiminymon sat, stunned. She felt sick; her insides were churning, her mind was burning, and her eyes were still swimming with the visions of the future. One by one, her inhibitions shattered. As the black vapours rose outside, she stared up at Dallurmon. He pressed his teeth together.

"You're...not a peacemaker. You're not a hero. You're not fit to be anyone's lord. You're nothing but...a monster." She glared up, her pupils burning gold with utter rage. "You're a monster! _You're_ the one who will destroy this world, _not_ us! Not the children! Nobody but self-serving _cowards_ like you!

Dallurmon flinched, and took a step back. "It's a shame. For a moment, I had hope for you. But you're just like the rest of them."

Jiminymon tensed herself. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Before Dallurmon could move, she jumped, her legs powering her towards the glass. The giant thrust his palm up, which was already surrounded with pure, white energy. " **Aesir Storm!** "

The attack blasted the windowsill, but it was a split second too late; Jiminymon burst through the glass, falling to the ground below, fluttering her wings with all her might. The brunt of Dallurmon's attack missed her, but it still buffeted her, this way and that, sending her out of control and careening straight into the black fog. Dallurmon roared, and slammed his fist down on the ledge, cracking the metal of the fortress with his sheer power.

"You will die there with the rest of them! I don't need you! I don't need ANY of you; I shall purge this quadrant and burn it to the _ground_ if I have to! I will keep the Digital World safe on my own!"

Storm clouds billowed around him as he raised his hands to the heavens, his tattoos glowing pure scarlet.

" **Aesir Storm!** "

* * *

The ground trembled as soldier and dragon clashed. Groundramon struck down again and again with wing and claw and tail and tooth, but Geryomon was far more adept than he had at first seemed. He kept on moving forwards at a steady pace, swinging his arms around again and again, alternating between a thrust from a lance and a blow from a shield. There was something beautifully mechanical about the way he fought, and with every strike Groundramon made, he countered effortlessly. The dragon reared up, holding his claw-wings out in front of him as he roared.

" **Giga Crack!** "

He slammed his body down, tearing into the rock, but he was even slower than before. Powerful he was, but with every attack, and every new fissure, he had weakened the ground all around him. Great chasms were opening up and his huge bulk was set off balance by the shifting strata. He'd been fighting for too long.

He cursed and disappeared, one of Geryomon's lances impaling his hind leg as he sunk downwards. The goliath slowed, rolling to a stop through his own momentum, and looked up at the four other beasts, all of whom had rescued themselves. Osteomon looked up, and sniffed the air, before turning towards the keep. "Something's happening."

Up above the tallest spire, clouds were forming. The rain had started up again, only it was no mere drizzle. It was harsh, and biting, the droplets an intense blue. Ahuizomon ground his teeth, shaking his fur out.

 _"It's Dallurmon. He must be getting desperate."_

Geryomon twisted his head around. "You must be the ones to bring about the change in this world. The one we so need."

The lake demon glanced back. " _Why did you come? I thought you were going to protect your people."_

"It wasn't so much for you-"

" **Scrapless Claw!** "

Geryomon stumbled, and rushed forwards as fast as he could manage as the ground crumbled beneath him. Groundramon pulled himself out, his claws slipping but flailing wildly, one of them striking the golem across the back. He spun, and raised his shields once again. Groundramon was breathing heavily now.

"You...foul creatures! All of you! You will all disappear from this world! You should never have come!"

Geryomon steadied himself, and raised his lances. "That's a shame. I came for you."

Groundramon stood in the rain, staring at the far smaller golem, who continued. "Monsters like you...you would never let us alone. My people are living in peace, but you...you threaten that."

The dragon stared, fury in his eyes.

"I can't be complacent. If I was, it would lead to my death, and the deaths of those I would protect." Geryomon twisted his head, looking back at the beasts behind. "That's why I came. I won't let anyone else suffer by this monster."

" _Enough!_ _ **Scrapless Claw!**_ _"_

Groundramon rushed forwards, his wings digging downwards and pushing Geryomon backwards, despite his shields being raised. The dragon's eyes were burning, and he ran forwards, driving the golem back further.

"You don't deserve to exist! You are tainted! You...all of you are a virus! And I will see you all _die!_ " He stopped suddenly, and swung round, his tail carrying forward, despite the bleeding.

" _ **Megaton Hammer Crush!**_ "

The mace struck Geryomon in the centre of the body, and sent him rolling away, his weapons and shields clattering every which way. The golem struggled to get up, as Groundramon towered over him, flexing his claw wings.

"You will be the first..."

" _ **Spiral Requiem!**_ _"_

Ahuizomon shot forwards, tearing into the monster's back, but with a shrug and a swipe he was downed once again. He rolled on the sodden ground, ending up face to face with the fallen golem. " _Geryomon...no_..."

" **Tidal Pressure!** "

" **Emerald Luster!** "

The dragon flinched as the torrent of water and light struck him, and he roared, striking down against the ground and sending Fafnirmon and Osteomon toppling down again. Groundramon snarled, and looked down at Khrysomamon, still the smallest amongst them, as he stood atop the cracked rock.

"You are powerless against me! What did you believe you could possibly do?"

Khrysomamon lowered his head. "They weren't aiming at you..."

 _CRACK_

Groundramon stumbled, and glanced back at where the torrent of water had been aimed; not at him, but at the ground beneath his feet. Already sodden, already weakened, and already crumbling away, due to the dragon's own immense and reckless power. He struggled, but fatigue and his own huge bulk worked in tandem, and he slid backwards into the sink trap of his own making. He could feel the earth packing in, holding his limbs tightly as he struggled, tearing at the rock. He tilted upwards, and roared up at the sky, before lashing down at the sheep in front of him, who only just managed to jump out the way.

" _How long do you think this will hold me, you pathetic creature?"_

A voice answered, but it wasn't Khrysomamon.

"Long enough."

Groundramon's eye darted back, to where Geryomon had risen to his feet. The lances were in his hands, shimmering with electric energy, and as they crackled so his whole body seemed to shimmer, flickering from side to side. There were two of him. Then four. Then eight...then, in seconds, a whole army, shimmering against the rain and moving in unison. The figure at the head raised his lance.

"You will not terrorize these lands anymore."

Behind him, dozens of clones raised their lances as one, the spears bright against the darkening sky and illuminating the dragon's panicked eye. He struggled, tearing at the rocky tomb, but it was too late.

" **Thunderous Legion!** "

The sky was lit up by a hundred bolts of energy, that rose up, then fell down in a deadly rain upon Groundramon's stranded form. Some of them impaled the ground around him. Others glanced off his heavy armour. But yet more struck true. They dug deep, burning through flesh and muscle and scale, lodging themselves deep within his body and coursing with energy. Groundramon's scream was immense and terrifying as the pain racked through his body. Then a spear struck his skull, piercing through one eye and out his lower jaw.

He sat there, frozen in his final position half buried in the fractured rock, a twisted grimace frozen on his face. All around the entire battlefield had been ravaged, with great trenches and crumbling pits. The rain was heavy now, and above the keep there came flashes of blue lightning. Already the blood and data of the dragon was beginning to get washed away, his body travelling back into the earth from where he'd roamed.

Geryomon's legion shimmered, and disappeared, leaving only the golem as he bent double, clutching his chest. There were flashes of energy all around, and the children and their partners rushed over, guiding him away from the dragon's corpse before he too was pulled underground.

They were all of them too exhausted to speak. Slowly, but steadily, they walked away, leaving the earth dragon in the grave of his own making. Not one of them looked back.

* * *

For a moment, Jiminymon was running for the others. She could see silhouettes in the black fog; a great beast, at the moment of each blow. Striking down Procoptomon. Phorusrhamon. Paradismon. With each blow, the fog growing thicker, and the eyes brighter.

Then the fear set in.

She was running for her life. The beast was on her tail; truly evil, and catching up. Forever behind her. She let off blades of static, but they simply cut the air. Wherever she turned, the SkullBaluchimon's undead grimace was waiting to devour her.

The visions grew worse.

She shook her head, backing away as she looked left and right. Paradismon flattened into the ground. Procoptomon lying motionless, gored through the stomach. Jiminymon closed her eyes, but there was no escaping the dark terror. It flowed around her. Dissipated through her. She felt the ice cold gaze of the creature's eyes upon her, forcing every moment of its own eternal torment into her.

A hand touched her shoulder, and pulled her close. She felt herself being pulled away, something smothering her head. She struggled, feeling the air leaving her body as she was constricted by the fog...

And then the fog was gone. She opened her eyes, and saw two faces staring at her. George and Neonamon. Both smiling. The D-Port was beside them, the front panel clattering as it let off a horrific noise. Neonamon glanced back. "Yeesh...they are in trouble."

Jiminymon ignored him, staring up at the boy. "You...came..."

"I knew you wouldn't abandon us. Not like that." George grinned. "You're too much of a stickler for details."

"You came for me..." Jiminymon shook her head, and pawed the ground. "You were all right; Dallurmon's nuts. I'm afraid he's not gonna let us through."

"That's a shame. We'll need to find our own way."

The cricket buzzed, somewhat smugly. "Luckily for you, I happen to have seen the wall between worlds. It's-"

There was a crash nearby, and the cricket jumped, staring back into the fog at where SkullBaluchimon was tussling with a wildly-swinging Procoptomon. George frowned. "It'll have to wait. They're in big trouble from that thing."

Neonamon bit his lip. "I've heard of these things. They overwhelm their enemies' senses; make them feel they're being chased forever. Their influence reaches as far as the fog." He gave George a side-eye. "Although you seem to be fine with it for some reason. Human stuff?"

The boy shrugged. "I just thought it was an interesting skeleton. I was trying to figure out what it was. Plus it does seem to be ignoring me."

Jiminymon shook her head. "Does that mean that we could turn the tables? Overload its senses?"

Neonamon hopped down onto the D-Port, swaying from side to side. "It's worth a shot. But we don't exactly have the firepower to do that. And I think asking Dallurmon might be a no-no."

The cricket chirped, and looked up at George, who had a smile on his face. "What do you say? Are you going to join us for real?"

"I think it's time I did something useful."

The boy reached out, his palm closing over the buttons on the D-Port. It shook, and spat, causing Neonamon to roll off and dive for cover. A torrent of energy burst forth; waves of green light, enveloping the boy and the bug as they stood up, stepping out of the alcove and into the fog as one. There was a flash as George disappeared, followed by a swirl of green. Neonamon watched, transfixed, as his senior's body lit up with energy, shining through the fog in a beacon of hope.

* * *

 _"It's a beautiful world, isn't it?"_

 _The two sat together, staring out at a thriving city. A vibrant park, brimming with life. Colours and shapes, each one different. In the centre, a small boy, already scribbling down on his paper and pad. His too-big glasses slipped down his nose again, and the two onlookers chuckled._

 _"Why did it take you so long?"_

 _The boy looked at Jiminymon, who ducked her head._

 _"I was running. I couldn't bear to stand up to the one I'd loved for so long. But why you? Why were you the last to fight?"_

 _George sighed. The vision was still busy, but through the pictures and sounds were darker truths. A crying child. A man sleeping on the corner. Yelling and screaming in the background hubbub. Truth through the distractions. All just out of earshot of the little boy with his little pad._

 _"Because I never needed to fight for anything. Because the world I saw was beautiful, and I never needed to lift a finger."_

 _Slowly the city faded away. So did the younger boy. The vision merged into the keep, with the storm rumbling up above. George stood up._

 _"Now I do. And now I will. I want everyone to see that beautiful world. My beautiful world."_

 _He smiled down at the cricket, and the two of them walked off together, into the green light._

 _"Let's do it, partner."_

* * *

"Jiminymon, Soul Interlock!"

"Evolution Activate!"

A distinct hum started up within the fog. Mixing with a kettle whistle, then standing on its own, growing in volume and timbre. The dark mist curled. It billowed around the new figure, but the energy was pulsing outwards, rejecting its influences.

Phorusrhamon saw it first; the green figure stepping forwards, taking shape in the mist. She backed away, holding her breath.

"Not you...not you too..."

There was a roar, and SkullBaluchimon's head rose above the fog, releasing more and flooding the back courtyard of the keep. But the new figure would not yield; she stepped forwards, and her form became clear.

The cricket had grown vastly, and her soft sandy carapace had hardened into thick plates. Conical spikes stuck up through her back and limbs, and her back legs reached high above, the lower leg like a large barbed sickle, each one nearly ten feet in length, with the barbs quivering slightly. Her wings had folded up, and were stretched, taut, from the nape of her neck to the tip of her tail, like the string on a guitar. Her head was monstrous; two great bladed mandibles that clicked together, five bright yellow-pupilled eyes and a set of headphones attached to the side of her head, carrying aerial-like antennae that twitched and rotated left and right. She clicked, and raised her head, the hum clearly emanating from her body. Gone was the frightened insect from before. She was ready to fight. They were both ready to fight.

"Wetamon!"

" _ **Deadly Fear!**_ "

With a roar that was both intense and utterly silent, the maddened creature rushed forwards, leering over the cricket and releasing yet more of the acrid smog. It washed over her, and further, into the hiding place where Neonamon was curled up in front of the D-Port. The snake squinted, trying desperately to make out what was going on.

"You're not gonna make it..."

Wetamon didn't move. She positioned herself on her front four legs, and raised the great sickles behind, the legs twisting and resting at the base of her neck.

"I can see through your lies."

With a sharp movement and a sharper sound, the fog dissipated, leaving Wetamon staring up at the immense creature. It growled, its face frozen in permanent fury as it raised a leg.

 _"_ _ **Grave Bone!**_ _"_

The foot slammed down, right into Wetamon's crossed sickles. She was driven back, but only slightly, her armour taking the brunt of the assault. She hissed slightly, and tensed her legs again.

"I can see through all the lies now. You have no power over me."

 _"_ _ **Grave Bone!**_ _"_

" **Scratch Resonance!** "

Wetamon wrenched her legs back, the barbs quivering and striking the hardened wing membrane at a hundred times a second. The noise was intolerable; a scraping shriek that shot out in waves from the cricket's body, cutting through the dense fog like a knife through butter. Wetamon adjusted herself, and raised her head, releasing the full force of the sound directly into SkullBaluchimon's face.

The beast staggered, swaying from side to side and shaking its head violently, sending bursts of fog out in an attempt to muffle the sound. All around, the fog was twisting skywards, unable to hold its corporeal grip on the battlefield. Wetamon's antennae twitched, upping the resonance even more.

"Rest, demon! You have no more purpose here!"

SkullBaluchimon roared; a hoarse, pained sound, accompanied by black liquid that fell from its mouth. The sound ground to a halt, as Wetamon reached the end of her wings, her sickles searing hot. All around, the battleground was revealed again. Procoptomon and Paradismon were getting to their feet, turning on the beast. They were shaken, and deeply scarred from its assault. But they were still prepared to fight.

Wetamon raised her legs again, her eyes flickering back and forth. There was no sign of Phorusrhamon.

" _ **Grave Bone!**_ "

"Look out!"

A vast knuckle struck Wetamon across the head, and she fell sideways, momentarily stunned from the impact. She lashed out with a leg, the sickle swiping at thin air. SkullBaluchimon may have lost its terrain advantage, but it had plenty of other assets to make use of.

" _Die, insect! Die for Dallurmon!"_

Wetamon rolled as the beast's jaws clamped shut, nearly over her own legs. She righted herself, and turned, spinning her left sickle as the barbs vibrated at an impossible speed.

" **Static Slash!** "

The air warped, crashing into the skeletal monstrosity with crashing screeches of sound. Wetamon backed away, no longer with the nimble reflexes of her previous form. But even as SkullBaluchimon shook off the attack and began to charge, she wasn't worried.

She wasn't alone.

" **Blindside Bruiser!** "

Procoptomon's knuckles slammed into SkullBaluchimon's lower jaw, and as it reared up from the attack, she twisted round, coiling her legs up and slamming it in the opposite direction. There was an immense crack, and the lower jaw snapped clean off, sending black miasma all over. SkullBaluchimon screeched, and thrust its head to the side, nearly goring Procoptomon through the chest as she fell back to earth, staggering a little.

" _ **Grave Bone!**_ _"_

A rush of stamps cracked the ground beneath the beast, as Procoptomon pulled Wetamon back. The kangaroo humphed, and flicked her snout.

"I thought that would shut it up."

" **Scratch Resonance!** "

The unearthly sound roared from Wetamon once again, and SkullBaluchimon thrust its head from side to side, trying and failing to remove the damning pain from its body. It raised its head, and something caught Wetamon's eyes. She lowered her gaze, and pointed beneath the monster's ribcage.

"There's its Digicore. Without it, it's powerless."

"Watch it!"

 _"_ _ **Grave Bone!**_ _"_

SkullBaluchimon thrust itself forward in a kamikaze attack, its bulk crashing into the ground and nearly flattening the monster cricket. It got to its feet again, and swiped left, this time sweeping Procoptomon and Wetamon away like they were nothing.

"Hey, Ermintrude! Up here!"

 _Thunk_

SkullBaluchimon roared as a dagger pierced its eye socket, impaling whatever horrific organ lay within. Paradismon floated up into the creature's new blind spot, and ran her other dagger over the bone, with little success. SkullBaluchimon made to bite at the sprite, but with a lack of a lower jaw that too didn't work as planned. It resorted instead to sweeping its head sideways, very nearly crushing Paradismon into the fortress wall; she just managed to roll away in time and rounded herself above its neck, her feathers fluttering in the mist.

" **Viridian Tempest!** "

A storm of green and blue energy dug into the bone in the beast's neck, sending fragments clattering to the ground. Unbalanced, the creature fell to one knee, right into Wetamon's line of fire.

" **Static Slash!** "

The arcs hit true this time, opening up the massive ribcage and revealing a pulsing blackness within, surrounded by hundreds of tiny white veins. Already the wound was spewing mist, threatening to cover the battlefield once again. Wetamon braced herself. "This is your shot!"

Procoptomon bent her knees. "I'm on it."

 _"_ _ **Deadly Fear!**_ _"_

There was an explosion of black fog as the kangaroo catapulted herself into the gaping wound. There was a blinding flash, and SkullBaluchimon threw its head to the heavens, crying out in silent agony.

 _Drop._

 _Drop._

The fog faded from all around and the heavy rain began to pierce the dark dimension, dissolving it away completely. The red glow faded from SkullBaluchimon's eye, and it tumbled forwards, its bones landing haphazardly on the hardened floor. Paradismon fluttered down, clutching a gash on her shoulder as she peered inside the chest cavity.

"I take it you hit it?"

Procoptomon poked her head out, and practically fell out of the withered beast, breathing heavily. "I'm never doing that again..."

The three laughed for a moment. It was a grim moment. But they were alive.

Sometimes it's the little things.

"Psst."

Wetamon's antennae flickered, and she looked down to see Neonamon, waving from his hiding place. He pointed upwards with his stubby tail. "The storm is Dallurmon's work. It's dangerous to be out in it."

The three Champions looked at one another, and with a brief flash, they returned to their smaller forms. Neonamon hadn't been lying; the rain was painful, and any harder and it could become dangerous. They rushed forwards, grabbing the D-Port and the tiny snake and heading for the open passageway, now unguarded. As they huddled within, getting their bearings, George couldn't help but glance outside.

"Phorusrhamon's gone."

Jiminymon nodded. "We saved her back then. I...hope she stays safe. And gone. At least until this is over."

The boy ran his hand through his hair. "We've got other things to do. We're nowhere near done yet."

Marsuamon tapped the tunnel up above, and grinned back. "So what? I feel like a million. Dallurmon won't know what hit him."

Neonamon smiled nervously. "Whatever he thinks, he's not far above here."

As the storm raged outside, so the seven infiltrated the keep, where the guardian of the wall between worlds was waiting, readying their demise.

* * *

Geryomon winced as Chupamon held a paw to his chest. The demon looked up. "Does it hurt?"

"Nothing hurts. I don't feel pain." Geryomon's eye flicked down to where his muscle and rock flesh was cracked, pieces flaking away onto the sodden ground. "It's just awkward."

The group had reformed beneath the keep's side gate, now lying in two pieces on the floor, courtesy of Geryomon. The assault had taken a lot out of him though, and he stood slumped near the arch, only able to stand due to his inherent stability. Still, it didn't look that promising.

Wyvermon stepped forwards, and nodded his head. "Thank you, for what you did back there. I've...misjudged all of-"

Geryomon shook his head. "I've protected my people. If you wish to help, do me a favour." He pointed upwards with a great stone hand. "End Dallurmon's rule. Show him we no longer recognise him."

Wyvermon bowed his head, but didn't respond. Geryomon shifted sideways. "I'll watch the gate. You must go inside. Meet your friends, and use your powers. You are...something special. You can change this world."

There was silence. The children looked down at their feet, as the heavy rain pockmarked the very rock just outside. Joel folded his arms. "We just wanted to get home."

Alasdair sighed. "It's been a long time since then."

He stared into the black hallway, where the distant sounds of alarms were still ringing.

"It's now or never."

With shaking hand and steady foot, he walked into the blackness. Wyvermon and Arimon followed him, then Yvonne and Joel, then the rest, Lucy bringing up the rear, looking uncomfortable. Alasdair paused, and looked back at everyone; soaked to the skin, scratched and bruised. The whites of all their eyes shone in the eerie blue light of the keep.

Their leader smiled.

"Come on, everyone. Let's go home."

* * *

The eerie noises resonated throughout the tunnel; a deep, almost gentle tapping that still steadily grew and grew, like the sounds of a thousand soldiers descending from outside. George winced, and gripped the D-Port to his chest more tightly as he edged forwards.

"My dad would kill me if he ever found out what I was doing."

"Your dad?" Ahead of him, Rachel peered back, a hint of incredulity in her eyes. "Mine's going to kill me for breaking his research. And be careful!"

George pulled back, narrowly avoiding scraping the device against a wall for the second time. It was humming in his arms, the energy swirling ominously in the centre of the screen, lighting up the passageway. It also illuminated the existing damage to the D-Port itself, which was looking dangerously scarred from its journey. Occasionally the whole thing would shudder, and the lights would brighten and the whole tunnel would seem to shake. George clutched it tightly regardless. They couldn't afford to lose it now.

The noise increased regardless, and a thin, metallic dust fell from the ceiling. At the front of the line, Neonamon stopped, his eyes darting back and forth.

"The storm's getting worse. We're lucky we got out when we did."

Marsuamon hopped a little further, walking alongside the little serpent. "Is this Dallurmon's doing? Is he that strong?"

"He's stronger than anyone I've ever met. Smarter too. Instinctive. That's how he managed to get this region under his control."

"I never got that."

Behind the snake, Lizzie forged ahead, with Mynahmon shuffling along beside her, cooing grumpily about dust in the wings. Lizzie ignored her, her eyes dead set ahead. "He wants us dead, right? Why not send a whole army? Doesn't seem very smart to me."

Jiminymon's antennae flickered, and she tilted her head. "He can't. He doesn't have an army."

"How does that work? You can all fight, can't you?"

"We all have abilities, yes. But to be strong, we need to fight. I guess I should have seen it back...back then. Dallurmon forced peace upon us. We never needed to fight. Therefore there were no warriors. No chance for an uprising." She looked away. "Perhaps he had less of a universal appeal than I initially thought."

Marsuamon and Mynahmon glanced at each other knowingly. "Really? How can you tell?"

"Yes yes, I know." Jiminymon buzzed angrily. "I'm with you now, aren't I?"

Neonamon grinned. "You certainly are. And actually, Dallurmon may have caused his own downfall."

George blinked. "How do you mean?"

"No warriors. No challenge. He had complete control, until you came along. You are an entirely different source of power. The biggest threat he's ever faced." Neonamon chuckled. "I'm sure he'll still call upon his excuse of you destroying the Digital World, but really he's scared."

Lizzie frowned. "You seem awfully chipper. Didn't you work for him as well?"

"A change of outlook is healthy now and then."

The girl raised an eyebrow, but thought nothing of it. There was another rumble, and the light flickered slightly, showing the way ahead. Marsuamon pointed. "Is that the end? Please let it be the end."

"Ssh." Neonamon whispered. "I don't know who's still here."

Lizzie sighed as she shuffled forwards. "I can't wait to get away from here. Get home."

She looked down, and noticed Mynahmon looking up, sadly. Lizzie gave a weak smile. "Don't look at me like that...it's not you. You're one of the best things that ever happened to me."

The bird's face transformed into a beaming smile (or something resembling one). Behind her, Jiminymon clicked, contemplatively. "It's funny, isn't it? You've only been here a few days, and yet our lives are never going to be the same after this. Some of us moreso than others."

George stopped, adjusting his glasses. "Us too."

The other two nodded in agreement. Rachel knelt up, holding her arms around her stomach and staring down at the D-Port. "How are we going to live?"

"I'm sorry?"

"It's so...big. How are we supposed to live knowing there's such a world like this?" She shuddered. "I never imagined my dad was working on something so...so..."

Lizzie looked back, holding her fist tightly. "Dangerous?"

"...wonderful..."

They'd reached the edge of the tunnel, beyond which lay the interior of the fortress. They sat in silence, each one buried in their own thoughts. Neonamon coughed to himself, and nudged the wall in front of him. "It's, uh...kind of difficult for me to open on my own."

"I've got it."

A push from Marsuamon and the hatch opened up, revealing the interior of the fortress itself. It was an old admin room, turned storage. Piles of parchments and bags of equipment lay around the room; all out of date, and many gathering dust. The group slowly unfurled from beneath the floor, stretching their cramped bodies whilst looking all around. Jiminymon was the last to get out, and she buzzed curiously. "Wasn't the alarm going?"

Neonamon shrugged. "You were in here last; you tell me." He looked around himself. "Though it's a good point. There's nobody here."

George stood up, stretching his arms. "Maybe they were evacuated? Maybe Dallurmon's out with them."

Lizzie bit her lip. "I wouldn't bet on it. He knows we're coming. He'll be standing guard."

Mynahmon fluttered above her, looking down. "So what are we going to do?"

The taller girl became aware of the other two looking up at her, almost expectantly. She felt herself blush. She wasn't used to making decisions.

"The others are coming. We're not going anywhere without them." She grasped the hem of her skirt, putting on her best brave face. "Neonamon, do you know where the entrance is?"

Marsuamon looked up. "You think they'll have got past Groundramon?"

"They're as strong as we are. They must have." She smiled. "I know they have. Let's go meet them."

The group ascended; up the stairs, and along the winding corridors. Lizzie held the rear, walking alongside George and keeping an eye out behind her, only shaking slightly. George looked up at her as they walked.

"That's a good look for you."

"What is?"

"Fearless leader." He smiled. "I certainly feel safe."

"Ehehe..."

Lizzie swallowed, and her face went even redder. She avoided the younger boy's gaze, focusing straight ahead.

'Glad someone does', she thought to herself. But she kept it inside. Together, the seven of them made their way further into the keep, as the sound of the storm grew ever louder around them.

* * *

"It's quiet."

Yvonne looked back at Arimon, who had his fingers running over his dagger, his scarlet eyes keen even in the darkness. The sheep became aware of her looking down at him, and he relaxed slightly. Slightly.

"There should be others here. Dallurmon's administrators."

" _They've all left."_ Chupamon pointed at the entrance, now far behind them. " _The sirens went off. It's an evacuation."_

"But for what? Surely he'd need-"

 _"You really think Dallurmon needs any of them?"_ Chupamon said, his eyes ghostly and piercing in the dark. _"He knows we're here. He's called the storm for a reason. Everyone else is just a distraction. He's going to take us out himself."_

Wyvermon huffed. "So I guess Jiminymon's little defection didn't work."

"Wyvermon!"

The dragon flinched as several sets of eyes glared down at him, and he flexed his wings. "Alright, alright! I'm just saying..."

He didn't know what he was saying, so he promptly shut his mouth, instead grumbling to himself. He became aware of Alasdair walking just ahead, seeming deep in thought. The dragon nudged him. "What's wrong?"

"We...killed somebody today." Alasdair looked down, and his eyes were unfocused. Slightly hazed.

Wyvermon ground his teeth. "You've killed lots of people since you came here." He frowned. "More than normal, maybe, but it was self-defense."

"I don't know how to take that."

"Their data doesn't go anywhere. It returns to the elements which formed it. Groundramon's going back into the earth."

"But he's still dead." Alasdair looked down. "Are Digimon at peace when it happens?"

"I don't know..." Wyvermon fell quiet. "I don't want to die...not yet..."

The group walked ahead in silence, feeling their way along the walls. It was Joel who broke the silence; hanging back for a moment as he looked down at the floor.

"Dallurmon's strong, isn't he..."

The others paused, and looked amongst themselves. Lucy nodded, and Placomon reached over and took the boy's hand. "It's alright. We can stop him."

"Can we?"

The boy's hand was shaking, and he pulled it away. Joel held his arms close, most uncharacteristically. "We nearly didn't beat Groundramon. Geryomon had to help. But he can't help now. And Dallurmon's stronger..." The boy looked up. "What are we gonna do?"

Alasdair felt all eyes on him once again, and he pulled his shoulders in. Chupamon was gazing more than most. " _What are we going to do? Even if we do beat Dallurmon...what then?"_ No answer. The devil continued. _"If it comes down to it...could you kill him?"_

Deathly silence. Chupamon bowed his head. " _Forget I said anything."_

He dropped back, sitting down beside Lucy. Arimon and Wyvermon stared at him with cold eyes. "Is this the world you live in?"

Chupamon sighed. _"I don't know what world I'm living in anymore. I thought I did. I was the bad guy; the scoundrel. It was easy like that. Why did you all have to go and complicate things? Even if we get through this alive, I can never return to that life."_

Placomon frowned. "Me neither. I need to actually get out into the world." She grimaced. "And _do_ things. Ergh."

There was the sound of falling fabric, as Lucy reached down, putting one hand on Chupamon's mask. She stared into his pale eyes with her emerald green ones, smiling encouragingly.

Arimon and Wyvermon looked at one another. "Well we...don't have a life to go back to. Not after this. Kabuterimon would maim us if we showed our faces."

Alasdair sighed. He looked down at his feet, then over at Wyvermon. The dragon looked nervous; very unlike him. But the boy knew exactly what he wanted to say. He wanted to say the same thing. There was no hiding it now.

The boy nodded. "We'll get to that when we come to it, alright. For now, we're gonna beat Dallurmon, and we're gonna get to the gate and get back home."

Wyvermon grinned. "Let's go. Partner."

 _Tap._

 _Tap._

There was the sound of footsteps, and the group turned around, looking down the corridor. Somebody was emerging out of the gloom. They held their breath, trying to see.

"Yvonne!"

"Lizzie!"

The two girls rushed forwards, and into each others' arms, as the two groups met up with each other once again. George chuckled as he wandered forwards. "I was worried about you guys. I suppose I didn't need to be."

"You took your time."

"We, uh, ran into some trouble. A lot of trouble." George grinned, and nodded down at Jiminymon. "Still, we're a full set now. We can help you too."

Alasdair looked down at Jiminymon, who bowed her head, embarrassed. "Sorry for all the worry I caused. I've set things straight now."

Wyvermon smirked. "No luck with Dallurmon after all, then."

"Dallurmon's an arsehole. He's going down."

Rachel stepped forwards, now holding the D-Port on her back having taken over from George. "I don't know how much time we have. Should we...get moving?"

Marsuamon cracked her knuckles beside the girl. "Dallurmon's up there. It'd be rude to keep him waiting."

Alasdair's face fell serious. "We've got one more thing we need to do. It's not going to be easy, and it's going to require all of us. But I promise you all, we're going to put our everything in, and we're going to get home. All of us are going to get home."

He looked around, to the response of nodding heads and determined smiles all around. His gaze finally fell upon Jiminymon.

"Please would you lead the way?"

"Of course." The cricket blinked, and fluttered her wings as she shuffled off. "And this time, we're all going to get there."

As they edged deeper into the keep, the noise from outside grew duller, muffled by the heavy walls. Occasionally there was a flash of energy from the sky, which would light up the corridors. As they got close to the centre, the children shivered, and held their arms around their bodies.

Jiminymon stopped in front of a great door, her wings sticking straight upright. She turned, and spoke, her voice impossibly quiet.

"He's right there."

Marsuamon gritted her teeth. "I've never felt such...power. Such desperation to destroy."

The others were quiet, but the children noticed all their partners cringing. Even they could feel something; a deep, heavy aura, thick with rage and sorrow. Lizzie swallowed. "We can't turn back now."

Yvonne peered backwards. "Are we all ready?"

They nodded. In Rachel's arms, the D-Port hissed, a rainbow of colours swirling in the cracked screen, ready to burst out at any time.

Alasdair turned to Yvonne, and the two of them reached out, placing their palms against the huge door. "Dallurmon wants us dead. Don't give him the chance. Help one another. Remember, we're going home. All of us."

He could feel himself shivering, but he braced himself against the freezing cold metal. Wyvermon stood alongside him, his tail held high. Yvonne and Arimon held their arms against the door, ready to move on the signal. Behind them, Jiminymon stayed near George's feet, as the boy cleaned his glasses. Mynahmon sat on Lizzie's shoulder. Lucy and Chupamon stood ready, holding one another's hands. Joel clenched his fists, with Placomon angling herself ready to charge. At the front, Rachel held the D-Port tightly, her eyes distant, and deep in thought. Marsuamon just cracked her knuckles.

Whatever they did, it would have to be quick.

Alasdair took in a breath, and readied his feet, preparing to open the chamber door.

"Three..."

"Two..."

"One..."

He and Yvonne pushed together, revealing Dallurmon's inner sanctum, and together, they charged.

* * *

 _TO BE CONTINUED..._


	11. Episode 11: Wake the Dark

_**Digimon Inferno: Playing with Matches**_

 _ **Episode 11: Wake the Dark**_

* * *

The sky was alight with blues, purples, and harsh, vicious crimsons as the rain lashed down, now in spears that struck great chips from the rocks and stained the walls of the keep a deep black. Dallurmon's fury was dangerous to everybody who got caught. The black clouds were strewn across the skies of the Echo Quadrant, sending savage winds and hail all across the region.

Back in the first village, Dinohyumon and the overseers called a state of warning as the winds threatened to uproot their settlements.

Under the ruined canyon, Yagamon held tightly to her people as the storm roared outside, terrible enough to collapse some of the caves deep within.

And over on the pillars above the keep, the effects were even worse. The smaller sculptures had already been whipped away, and several of the stone towers had fallen through into the void beneath. The area was open and exposed, with each new strike of hail or barrage of rain shaking it even further. The wall at the edge of the Echo Quadrant was being tested, and such destruction wasn't going unnoticed from the lands beyond. Still, for now the keep was faring well, its spiralling structure weathering the storm admirably.

Less could be said for the people within. The administrators were running for cover; that is, those strong enough to outrun the storm. Several Rookies and In-Training levels had already been whipped up by the savage winds, and even some of the seniors had gotten caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. A good number of Dallurmon's most loyal servants cowered beneath the rock that remained, holding fast against his wrath. Some had already run, braving the storm in a vain attempt to get away from Dallurmon's indiscriminate attack. Not a single one had made it; their bodies lying broken and strewn around the pillars.

Only one was still moving.

Slowly, Phorusrhamon dragged herself forwards, her breathing heavy. She could still feel the impacts from the battle, and the imprint of SkullBaluchimon on her mind. Dallurmon's storm beat down on her relentlessly. Uncaringly.

"What did I do wrong...?"

Her armour pockmarked and her feathers falling away one by one, she looked up to the sky. The metal around what remained of her face was already peeling away, revealing more red-raw flesh next to the burn mark. Still, her eyes were as sharp as ever. She could see the lights at the very top of the keep, where the storm was still swirling out from.

"What did those children do to you...?"

She growled, and dragged herself forwards, her legs threatening to collapse beneath her.

"They've destroyed what you were..."

Her pupils flickered in their sockets, and her head bent down, staring at her hands.

"Bring...bring me my lord back!"

She cried out to the heavens, but they didn't respond. The rain only came down harder; years and years of Dallurmon's rage and bitterness and madness falling down upon her.

"You have to destroy them."

She looked up, and gasped in horror. Groundramon's lifeless eyes stared back, the vast body only half-gone, still impaled in the very place he'd fallen. The bird rushed forwards, running a claw over his cold face.

"How could...they do this to you...those... _monsters..."_

Phorusrhamon turned, staring back at the keep once again. She laughed.

"My lord...your strength isn't full...you don't know what they are, they will _kill_ you...they will kill all of us."

Her claw reached up, caressing the raw side of her face.

"This is a sacrifice, isn't it? You, really, truly care for this world. For us. For me. Right? You must. It can't...there's no way it would be a lie..."

One step. And another. Then, through the vicious winds, and the rending rain, she was running, back the way she'd come. Further into the storm even as it threatened her very life.

" _They will kill you, Lord Dallurmon. I must...I have to..."_

She clenched her right claw, feeling her talons digging into her own flesh as she turned away from the keep, towards the mountains behind. Her vision was blurring, but she scrambled forwards, trying to find the path from so long ago. The path she could still remember so clearly.

 _"I'm sorry I disobeyed you, but I must...I have to-"_

She paused, reaching out and touching an ancient stain on the rock, half covered with lichen, but recognisable all the same.

It was blood. Blood from a long time ago. And with it, there came memories.

 _"I have to save you..."_

* * *

The great door to the office opened, and a blast of cold air burst outwards, striking the group and stunning them. Still they rushed forwards, spreading out immediately. The room had changed; the eye of the storm as it now was, it was layered in white fog, blocking visibility even as close as across the room. The walls were glistening with condensation, and from beyond the walls, they could hear the roaring of the storm beyond. There was the sound of the mercury pool bubbling and spitting, and though the group couldn't see beyond the pool, they knew very well that they were not alone.

"You shouldn't have come..."

Alasdair squinted; up ahead he thought he could see a figure in the mist, standing tall and broad. Blocking their path. The mist swirled, and the figure disappeared.

" **Aesir Storm!** "

An arc of vicious wind swept in from the side, crashing into half of the running refugees and sending them into the wall. George heard a cry of pain, and turned to see the others, disorientated and trying to get to their feet.

"Watch out!"

Dallurmon charged forwards out of the mist, his left hand raised in a savage claw as he went for Joel, the nearest child.

"No!"

Alasdair and George threw themselves forwards, trying in vain to tackle the giant, to do something to slow his rampage. But it was like trying to knock down a pillar, and he was having none of it. With a great sweep of his arm he knocked them back, the impact taking their breath away. The giant snarled, all traces of civility gone.

"How many times must you _die?"_

" **Floral Burst!** "

" **Bright Barrage!** "

" **Crackin' Kick!** "

" **Jewel Rush!** "

" **Depth Charge!** "

" _ **Crimson Spikes!**_ _"_

" **Scratch Sonic!** "

Dallurmon flinched as the attacks came at him from all directions; burning and blistering his skin, but doing little else. He exhaled, his breath forming ice crystals as the fog swirled around his feet. Now he was fully visible, with his tattoos flashing a vicious red. He wasn't as vast as his holographic vision had made him out to be, but he still stood at a good eight foot, and he was certainly no less powerful for it. Up close, the children could feel his deadly aura, his anger and his madness. There was no argument, or reason to be had; they could tell instantly. This man wanted them dead.

Something whipped past behind him, and he turned, throwing his fist down and knocking the girl, Yvonne, away. Before she could move, he bent down, thrusting his right stump against her cheek. It clicked and spun, the metal rubbing against her jawbone and threatening to take her eye out.

Dallurmon grinned.

"You will be the first..."

"Here lies Dallurmon! Self-proclaimed ruler, and utter failure!"

The head jerked sideways, to where Neonamon was sitting, a cheeky smile on his innocent face. Dallurmon spat in contempt. "Yet another traitor. You will fall with them."

He brought his hand back, but something caught his eye. A glow of energy, just behind the snake. Dallurmon sat up, turning his body and towering above the tiny serpent. Neonamon pretended not to notice.

"Valiant, sincere, a bit pig-headed; honestly, you were a _horrible_ boss. Everyone thought so."

He stuck out his tongue, but the giant paid no heed to him. Behind him, the D-Port grew in intensity, shaking from the energy within. And as it did so, the keep itself began to tremble. There was a groan from deep within the study, as the wall between worlds began to wake.

"So that's the infernal device. The one which summons the forbidden arts of the Digital World." He ground his teeth. "How dare you bring it into my presence..."

There was a shuffling, and Lucy and Rachel placed their bodies between Dallurmon and the D-Port. He grunted, and balled energy in his hand.

"You still don't get it, do you? You have no say here."

Still in the line of fire, Neonamon chuckled heartily, in a manner quite unlike his usual self.

"They're going back to the human world..."

Beneath the mask, Dallurmon's eyes flashed with mad rage.

"...and there's nothing you can do to stop them!"

" **Aesir Storm!** "

Neonamon faced the oncoming blast with a smile on the face, as the D-Port erupted behind him. The attack was lost in a sea of colour, which blasted through the fog and rippled around the walls of the office in a beautiful and terrifying display. It flowed like water, and zipped through the air like lightning, forming a vortex that pulsed outwards and bathed the seven tamers and their seven partners in energy. The sound was incredible; thousands of whistles, and a deep, throbbing pulse, like the very heartbeat of the D-Port itself was reaching out.

Dallurmon gritted his teeth. He held up an arm. He stepped backwards, unable to hold his own against the torrent. Metal and stone were rent from the walls as, one by one, the children he had sworn to destroy dissolved before his very eyes, joining the torrent of energy and travelling towards the centre. With a cry of anguish he turned and brought his hand down towards Yvonne, but she evaporated in his grip, with a smile and a burst of data that seared the skin on his hand.

"Abominations... _what have you done?"_

"SOUL INTERLOCK!"

The energy rose in the centre of the room, and shot outwards in seven white arrows, striking each of the Digimon partners in the chest. There was a crackle of energy, bursting the remaining windows and sending the door clattering down the corridor. Then, the noise and light died down. Dallurmon stood up, and turned in place, surveying the seven Digimon one by one, as they each readied themselves, their eyes focused on him.

"Fafnirmon!"

"Khrysomamon!"

"Wetamon!"

" _Ahuizomon!_ "

"Osteomon!"

"Procoptomon!"

"Paradismon!"

Dallurmon roared, and his tattoos glowed bright white. "It matters not what form your dying bodies take, _vermin!"_

He charged forwards towards Procoptomon, swinging his arm outwards as the white glow converged in his hand, forming a vicious, curved sword that sang melancholically as he swung it.

" **Sabre of the Just!** "

The seven Digimon scattered, and Dallurmon's blade struck the floor, slicing into the metal and sending waves of white fire in all directions. He brought it back round, and fired again; an arc of bright fire that caught at least a couple of his assailants on the tail.

" **Emerald Luster!** "

" **Viridian Tempest!** "

Dallurmon held up his arm as the attacks came from both directions; jewel-like scales and razor-sharp petals digging into his skin. He stamped down on the floor, causing a tremor, and swung again, causing somebody to disappear back into the fog. Dallurmon simply waited in the centre of the office, his tattoos swirling and his blade humming. He closed his mouth, not daring to even breathe. Nobody else made a sound either; he could feel their presences circling him, readying themselves to attack. It was a stand-off. Nobody spoke. There was only the sound of the storm outside; constant, and frightening. There was a clattering as one of the spires of the keep was ripped from its holdings, and sent spiralling up into the void. But that was far, far away now. The air hung still, as eight creatures all prepared to strike.

In the corner of the office, Neonamon cursed under his breath as he dragged the steaming D-Port further into the alcove, holding the fraying strap in his mouth. Already he could feel the heat and the cold of the battle, although the dust was such that he could barely see anything. He tensed himself, and moved his own body in front of the trembling device like a tiny guardian dragon.

"Come on everybody, you've got this."

He felt a rumble and warmth beneath him, and looked down to see hairline cracks stretching over the front panel. His eyes widened.

"Oh no, not now..."

" **Bone Ripper!** "

A barrage of sharpened bones flew across the air, straight towards Dallurmon, who brought up his blade of light, parrying the projectiles expertly. He ducked from a dagger from Paradismon as she flew overhead, and jumped out of the way of Ahuizomon's snare as it lashed out from beneath him.

" **Serpent Scourge!** "

Dallurmon turned his head as Fafnirmon rushed towards him, a wheel of claws and teeth. The dragon struck true; Dallurmon was driven backwards, his lack of a right arm giving him a weak spot.

Though he was by no means defenceless.

" **Aesir Storm!** "

The giant brought back a fist and struck Fafnirmon in the neck, but the dragon slipped around, raking his claws over Dallurmon's bare chest. The wounds opened up, white energy spilling forth and singeing the dragon's claws.

"Crap!"

"You are all beneath me!" yelled Dallurmon, gripping Fafnirmon's body tightly and swinging him around, causing both Paradismon and Khrysomamon to jump back to avoid being hit by their own comrade. Dallurmon tossed the serpent into the nearest wall, where his spines dug in, ripping out great chunks.

" **Sabre of the Just!** "

" **Scratch Resonance!** "

A wall of sound hit Dallurmon, and he bent double, coughing up white light. With a cry of anger he turned, sending an arc of energy towards Wetamon, which struck her foreleg, taking out a great gouge and breaking her rhythm.

"Stop MOVING!"

Osteomon rushed forwards, bringing one claw forwards as Dallurmon turned to face her. He drew his arm back, energy crackling around it.

" **Aesir Storm!** "

He thrust it forwards at point-blank range, but Osteomon had planned ahead. Her claw fell and she threw her body sideways, the storm buffeting her and cracking her dorsal armour, but leaving her standing. She roared, swinging her whole body round and bringing her tail straight into Dallurmon's side. He staggered, and fell to one knee, glancing up as she brought her jaws forwards.

"Lend me strength!"

The ground cracked beneath Dallurmon, and he caught Osteomon's jaw with an uppercut, enhanced by the energy around him. The impact racked her body, but Dallurmon jumped, not giving her time to react. He spun, kicking her twice in the head and slashing at her cheek, taking some of her head fins.

"AAARGH!"

Osteomon writhed as blood dripped from her head, her movements shaking the room, as well as buffeting Dallurmon on top of her. He rolled forwards as he landed, ripping his pelt and revealing his immense muscles.

" **Eden Stiletto!** "

Paradismon shot past, but Dallurmon held up a palm, catching her fist and flinging her away. He peered down at his hand, and frowned; the dagger had pierced the side of his palm, the skin being buffeted by the immense energy within him.

The giant felt a tingle and ducked, as Fafnirmon's tail went for his head. He lashed out with a terrible kick, then send more bolts of energy towards Wetamon and Paradismon, who backed away. Dallurmon stepped forwards, rolling his shoulders.

"I am your angel of death! I am-"

" _SHUT UP!"_

Osteomon charge, her head low and her arms wide, and she swiped left, right, and up, but each blow missed as Dallurmon vaulted over her head, the impact of his feet cracking her armour.

" **Tidal Pressure!** "

Dallurmon couldn't hold on any longer as water erupted around him, sending him spinning upwards into the air. He thrust his arm wide, his breath icy as he spun, ready to bring it down upon the sea monster.

Too late he saw her grin of satisfaction, as well as the error of his movements.

" **Golden Wildfire!** "

" _ **Spiral Requiem!**_ _"_

Osteomon deliberately fell back, giving Dallurmon nothing to change the direction of his descent. The attacks rushed towards him, and he braced himself, choosing between the two in a split second, and aiming for the fire. He fell through, rolling on the ground with his clothes and skin singed, and his tattoos glowing orange. With expertise he leapt to his feet, and brought up a forearm to counter Khrysomamon's hooves as they slammed downwards.

"You can't beat me. I'm faster than you."

With a quick movement he grasped Khrysomamon's foreleg, throwing the ram to the ground and stabbing downwards with his spinning key-arm.

"Stronger than you!"

"All of us?"

The giant jerked sideways as a leg from Procoptomon slammed into his face. He turned, blocking two more punches, but the kangaroo was relentless, jabbing again and again. Dallurmon changed tactics; he aimed low, scraping his key arm over the kangaroo's limbs and digging his claws in to her arms. But she was fast, and he didn't get far before another kick sent him skidding backwards, clutching his midriff.

" **Emerald Luster!** "

Fafnirmon fired his attack inwards again, its razor-sharp power slashing at his skin. The giant looked up, and his arm glowed blue.

" **Aesir Storm!** "

He stood up, taking the brunt of the hit, and spun his body with his arm outstretched, as wind and rain flew from his palm in a horrific twister. The blast struck many of the Champions, but Paradismon was hit the worst. She spiralled up, out of control, and hit the ceiling, letting out a gasp as she was winded from the impact. Dallurmon glanced upwards as she fell, and he raised his blade of light, preparing to run.

"Bastard!" screamed Wetamon rushing forwards and driving Dallurmon sideways. He twisted his body, glowering down at her as he dug his heels in, just short of the great mercury pool of visions. His expression was one of unashamed fury.

"My own people would betray me? You make me _sick!"_

A glowing fist struck Wetamon in the centre of the forehead, and she screeched, a blast of feedback escaping from her speakers and causing even Dallurmon to reel back. Still, the cricket held firm, her bloodied face staring into Dallurmon's as she twisted her rear legs.

"You betrayed _us_! **Static Slash!** "

Her vibrating barbs ripped through space as she thrust them down, sending two massive arcs of concentrated sound right into Dallurmon's chest. He rolled backwards, and landed with a splash in his own mystical pool. The mercury caressed him as he coughed, stunned from the impact.

Aware of where he was lying, he tried to right himself, but the pool was already accentuating his powers, which were reaching out and grasping onto anything they could get a hold of. Already he could see the faintest of visions running through his mind, visions of battle much like this one, far in the future. They were blurry, and they were frantic. Looking around, the pathetic Champion levels he was fighting seemed to morph and shift, becoming greater, more terrifying beings. Khrysomamon reared up, holding a two-handed sword and with mad fire in his eyes. Osteomon rolled her neck, her gauntlets morphing into chain-maces as dark portals opened up behind her. Ahuizomon twisted and contorted, his body wrapped in chains. Paradismon rose up, shining brightly. Fafnirmon's coils expanded, taking up the room.

"If you refuse to fall here, all your fates will be far, far more terrible..."

" **Tidal** _ **Pressure!**_ "

The waters rose up, dragged behind Osteomon, as her hands rushed upwards. A torrent of water overwhelmed Dallurmon sending him rolling into the great door of the study.

" **Scratch Resonance!** "

" **Golden Wildfire!** "

" _ **Spiral Requiem!**_ _"_

The attacks struck one by one, and while Dallurmon did his best to block them, they ground him down, pushing him to one knee as he gasped for breath. He saw an opportunity, and took it, releasing a wave of energy that blasted the assailants back. They gathered, catching their own breath as they watched him hold out his palm, steadying himself. He was out of breath. Only just. But noticeably so.

"What...manner of power...have you stolen...from this world?"

In the heat of the moment, nobody could have seen the true extent of the power at hand. The extent of Dallurmon's own power had been speculated by many around this great region. Some had said he had weakened over the years, due to the loss of his arm and the lack of war and conflict to keep him strong. Others said his humility had given him greater internal power than any other in the region. And yet others – those among his own staff - wondered about the terrifying aura they sensed from him, and whether his power was from the Digital World at all, and not from the great gate that he solemnly guarded, every day and every night.

Even now, as they cowered in the storm outside, some of them wondered if those humans had brought more to this world than anybody had realised.

The question would never be answered, not truly. Although the watchers of the future would speculate, talking of the lethal power of the D-Port. The D-Port which even now was reaching out, beyond the fortified door and towards the gate. Its invisible fingers reaching the edges of the wall between worlds, and it held on to another world.

It's certainly true that Dallurmon felt the wall cry out, even behind the fortified door.

He may have been outnumbered, and under far more pressure than he'd first imagined.

But he was still an Ultimate level.

And, right now, he was desperate.

* * *

The sky flashed with such ferocity that even the mighty Geryomon flinched. He looked up, seeing a glow from the top of the keep, the hail spiralling up from the tallest tower, before falling to earth all around. He held out a hand, but the biting winds and rain caught it, chipping away at his rocky flesh.

He pressed himself further back into the arch, muttering to himself. Each movement was still painful. He shifted his chest around, and a few more plates of muscle fell away. He sighed. For somebody as sturdy as him, it took a very long time to heal. Or a very long time to die. He didn't feel confident in calling it.

Still he stood guard, watching out over the ruined pillars. With a distant scraping, one of them fell away, crumbling down into the void below. The void where it was said the tendrils of Yggdrasil flowed freely. Certainly with each blast of light, he was feeling closer to the Digital World than he'd ever felt.

By chance, he found himself thinking of the Digimon back at the canyon. Yagamon and the others. He sighed again, becoming aware he'd likely never see them again. Curiously, he twisted his head, staring out over the way he'd come. Then slightly to the left, where more pillars were falling. There was a glow; bright orange, far in the distance. Far beyond the storm.

"Your wall is crumbling, Dallurmon. Someone's coming for you..."

* * *

Phorusrhamon cried out as the rock slid past her, scraping away at her right wing, which was already in tatters. She scrambled forwards like an insect, trying to avoid getting crushed, or falling into the inky blackness below.

All the while she could feel herself slipping into blackness, but every time she felt herself going, she forced herself awake, focusing on the constant pain. If she fell here, she knew she'd never wake up again.

The bird pulled herself over a ledge and stared down, seeing the familiar sculpture. It had always been her favourite, back when she was younger. Back when she and her family lived a quiet life on these shifting stones.

That was a long time ago now. A distant memory, before she'd found her purpose. Her family had long since disappeared, vanishing from her mind, and her cares.

Only one mattered now.

Her claws straining against the slippery rock, she began to descend, reaching out towards the ruined structure that had once been her home.

"Please...just a little longer..."

* * *

" **Aesir Storm!** "

A blast of white lightning shot across the room, pulsing with such intensity that it tore the metal from the wall and caused the mercury in the pool of visions to boil and evaporate, sending acrid fumes across the battleground. Khrysomamon and Fafnirmon just ducked out of the way in time, but another blast froze the ground at their feet, sending them tumbling down.

" _ **Abominable Snare!**_ _"_

Dallurmon jerked, his feet stuck in the floor. A tendril-like arm sprung out, aiming for his neck, but the giant reached out with his free arm and grabbed it, wrenching with all his might.

"Out with you, demon!"

 _"AGH!"_

The seal dissipated at his feet as Dallurmon pulled Ahuizomon free, before throwing him over his shoulder. The water devil let out a breath like a ruptured tyre, and scuttled away, his fur matted and singed. Dallurmon steadied himself, holding the shoulder of his right arm. The key clicked and whirred, the pins shifting in and out at a frightening speed, as if they could sense the agitation and fear in the room.

Ahuizomon reformed himself near Fafnirmon, grinding his teeth. " _He's still not going down. He must have vast reserves of power left."_

There was a clanking as Wetamon stepped forwards, clicking beneath her mask. "That may be, but look. He's standing still..."

" **Aesir Storm!** "

Dallurmon let out a cry of anger, and fired off one, two, three more blasts in quick succession. One narrowly missed Paradismon, and the other two were parried away by Procoptomon, who landed neatly, shaking her blackened fists. The kangaroo shook her head. "Why is he standing there? Why isn't he attacking?"

"The door..." Wetamon's antennae vibrated, and she hunched her shoulders. "He's guarding the door. He's on the defensive."

Khrysomamon tilted his head. "That's good...isn't it? We're winning..."

"We're not winning..."

Due to her bulk, the giant cricket couldn't turn around. But her perception was enough to sense the presence of everyone in the room. She could sense Neonamon, still guarding the D-Port, hissing and spitting under his breath. And beneath him, the malevolent aura of the device itself, as it tussled invisibly with the wall between worlds.

And ahead, she watched Dallurmon, as he placed his palm on his knee. The tattoos had spread. They were more elaborate – more terrifying – than she had ever seen them before. They shone brightly; bitter yellow, blood red, ice blue, dark purple. Each one betraying the innermost intents of the creature she had once followed proudly.

Dallurmon was petrified.

Next to her, she heard Fafnirmon growl beneath his breath. Osteomon and Procoptomon had marched forwards, the group standing in a line, no longer on the defensive but now ready to march forwards, and take the siege to Dallurmon.

"It's now or never..."

Dallurmon thrust his arm outwards, the blade reforming through his fingers as he held it before him, his jaw quivering.

" _You shall never reach the wall between worlds! You will never break this world again!"_

" **Eden Stiletto!** "

" **Burning Blade!** "

" **Ceaseless Assault!** "

A flurry of blows rained down on Dallurmon; biting steel and fire and brutal punches. He fought admirably, parrying nearly every blow thrown at him, and knocking both Procoptomon and Khrysomamon back. Paradismon descended, thrusting out with one dagger and slashing with the other, digging into his shoulder.

 _"_ _ **Sabre of the Just!**_ _"_

She spun away, and Dallurmon's attack struck Osteomon's gauntlet as she led the second charge, thrusting her second claw into the ground.

" **Bone Ripper!** "

Dallurmon held up his arm, ignoring as several of the painful shards impaled the flesh on his forearm. Still he noticed Ahuizomon and Fafnirmon behind him, both of them vibrating with savage intent.

" **Serpent Scourge!** "

" _ **Spiral Requiem!**_ _"_

" **Static Slash!** "

The second wave hit hard, blasting Dallurmon back against the door once again, with such force that he left a genuine impact. The fortified metal creaked against the strain, threatening to fall away. But Dallurmon was still not broken. Even as Ahuizomon and Procoptomon rushed forwards to strike again, he slashed with the sword of energy, keeping them away, defiant and desperate to the end.

Desperation can perform many a miracle. And can lead to many a downfall.

Thus when Khrysomamon charged forwards, horns down and ready to drive the giant into the door once again, he didn't see Dallurmon's tattoos glowing a savage golden colour.

Nor the frozen lightning spiralling up his arm,

Not until it was too late.

" _ **AESIR STORM!**_ _"_

The office was lit up as Dallurmon thrust his arm forwards, the blast arcing outwards in a glorious display, reflecting off the ceiling and skittering across the floor. But most of it struck Khrysomamon full in the chest. The ram spluttered. He was thrust back across the room and crashed into the opposite wall, where he crumpled immediately, coughing blood.

" _YVONNE!"_

Dallurmon stood tall, staring at the ram as he struggled on the floor. His skin seemed to glow gold, and his tattoos were almost aflame with the power inside of him. The room was already glistening with particles of ice, the blast having sent everyone backwards. Dallurmon exhaled, and took a step forwards, his feet crunching against the frost.

"You...all of you...are nothing but another prophecy. Another one doomed to never come to pass. I have seen to it. There is nothing you can do. No course of events that will change your deaths."

"Son of a _bitch_! _**Eden Stiletto!**_ _"_

A blue blur rushed past Dallurmon and he buckled, Paradismon's dagger having slashed his leg. He growled, and fired an arc of energy up towards her, but she rushed to another corner of the room, gazing with fury down towards him. And she wasn't the only one.

" **Emerald Luster!** "

" **Static Slash!** "

Dallurmon jumped, the attacks striking the wall behind him. The office trembled again; perhaps from the ferocity of the storm outside, or perhaps from the energy growing within the D-Port. Nobody could tell. Nobody cared.

" _ **Spiral Requiem!**_ _"_

A crimson tornado flew towards Dallurmon, and the giant held up an arm, gritting his teeth as the whirring spikes whipped his skin away. He stepped forwards, and thrust his arm inside, grabbing Ahuizomon mid-spin and throwing him against the wall. A savage kick kept the demon down, but already someone else was up to replace him.

" **Ceaseless Assault!** "

Procoptomon rushed forwards, throwing blow after blow, but her aggression was her downfall. Dallurmon dodged and blocked blow after blow, and the kangaroo couldn't gain enough momentum to build up to her final strike. She found herself out in the open, with no way of defending herself as the giant reared back, the white energy gathering around his hand once again.

" **Sabre of the Just!** "

The kangaroo ducked, but the blast of residual energy still knocked her flat. She shuffled back, but felt a sharp pain in her thigh as Dallurmon slashed, back on the offensive.

"You have no power against me!"

" **Eden Stiletto!** "

Another slash, this time over his shoulders. Dallurmon cried out, and smashed down instinctively, only barely missing Procoptomon as she backed up. Her legs bent and she launched herself forwards, shooting past the giant and contorting her body in mid-air.

" **Blindside-** "

Dallurmon spun, and the kangaroo's feet came into contact with the spinning metal of the key, making the blow a glancing one. Her momentum carried her forwards, and she rolled away, hitting the opposite wall with a crunch.

" **Scratch Resonance!** "

A blast of distorted noise struck Dallurmon, and he went down to one knee, his hand splayed against the buckled floor. Wetamon stared down her former lord, but her furious expression turned to one of fear as he stood tall, and turned to face her. Wetamon shifted her posture and struck her legs again, but the wall of sound was doing nothing to him now. Fury had deafened him, and with an inhuman roar he lashed out, striking the cricket in the forehead with one immense kick. She tried once more, but didn't even get a chance to make a sound before a second kick sent her skidding backwards, her stunned body crashing to the ground.

" **Bone Ripper!** "

" **Burning Blade!** "

" **Emerald Luster!** "

It was a clumsy attack; three directions, but uncoordinated, with each proponent lunging out the way. It was unavoidable at this point. Despite their comeback, they were all of them feeling the effects of Dallurmon's assault. And they were getting tired.

It wouldn't be long until the first one of them fell.

" **Eden Stiletto!** "

Khrysomamon stumbled, and glanced up, just in time to see Paradismon rushing in with her dagger, towards Dallurmon's poised arm.

"No, get out of there!"

Paradismon opened her wings in a millisecond, but even with her enhanced speed she couldn't avoid Dallurmon completely. His arm flew backwards, catching her slight body and sending her to the ground. She rolled, but the giant landed in front of her and crashed his fist down in the square of her back.

 _CRACK_

" **Viridian...Tempest!** "

A blast of razor-petals flew everywhere, some of them digging deep into the sprite's body. It was a last-ditch attempt, and even that wasn't enough to faze the giant.

"You don't deserve this power!"

Dallurmon's hand closed around the sprite's ankle, and he thrust her sideways, slamming her body first into Ahuizomon's, then Procoptomon's, then upwards into the ceiling and down again into the rocky floor. She gasped, all the breath knocked out of her as he held her up limply, and kicked her; once, twice, three times, each blow sending feathers down to the ground and causing her vision to blur all the more.

"You don't deserve the privilege of-"

 _SHNK_

The giant looked at his palm, and the long dagger that impaled it. His blood was running freely – an iridescent blue which stained the tiles below - but he didn't even seem to notice. He merely stared at the limp sprite in his hands, as she held the second dagger in one shaking hand.

"...save it...you monster..."

He sneered.

"Fine!"

Before anybody could reach him he'd thrown the sprite skywards, her body hanging limply in mid-air. With the speed and dexterity of a sharpshooter he thrust his hand open, the palm glowing with the full force of the storm.

Paradismon held up her arms as she saw the light approach her.

She didn't stand a chance.

Her body crashed into the ceiling, the blast keeping her in place for several seconds. Her remaining feathers were ripped away from the sheer force of the wind and the rain, and though she screamed, it was lost within the noise of the rushing winds. Then it faded, and she rolled downwards, trailing data as she did so. Her body crashed into the floor with a horrendous crack, her one remaining dagger clattering away. She trembled, and held up an arm, calling a name and clenching her fist as a clear liquid spread out beneath her. Then, her arm fell, and she dissolved in an instant, leaving an unconscious Lizzie and Mynahmon flat out on the marble tile.

One down.

 _"LIZZIE!"_

Khrysomamon rushed towards the girl as Dallurmon stood up, shaking residual energy from his arm. His skin was black and blistered around the hand and the wrist; a testament to the sheer cold and power he was capable of wielding. For a moment Paradismon's dagger was still stuck through his palm. He closed his fingers, and it dissolved in a burst of data, leaving an ugly black mark on his golden skin, cauterised by the cold.

"I'll kill you! **Blindside Bruiser!** "

Procoptomon shot forwards, knocking Dallurmon off his feet before twisting her legs and launching him into the ceiling, her eyes red with fury. The giant fell down, but landed on his feet and knocked away the charging kangaroo with a sweep of his legs.

" **Sabre of the Just!** "

" **Burning Blade!** "

Energy blasted out as the giant's scimitar struck the ram's blade, and the two traded blow after blow; low, high, block, lunge, again and again, sending white fire and bright sparks in every direction. More than once Dallurmon got the upper hand, stabbing Khrysomamon twice in the shoulder and once in the chest, but still the sheep kept rushing forwards, gripping the hilt of his sword with such intensity that his head was shaking.

"Does this all feel _good_ to you? **Golden Wildfire!** "

The sheep leapt, releasing fireballs behind him, but Dallurmon caught him as he landed, pulling him over his head and slamming him into the ground.

" **Blindside-** "

Dallurmon swiped, but the kangaroo ducked. A feint. The giant turned to see Osteomon rushing forwards with a roar, and he braced himself.

" **Scratch Resonance!** "

A deep throbbing pain struck the giant in the temple as Wetamon's attack hit just as Osteomon reached him, her claw swinging into his chest. He was thrust backwards, barely staying standing, as Khrysomamon got to his feet again, eyes blazing.

"Do you _care_ how much harm you're causing? How much hurt? **Burning BLADE!** "

Dallurmon raised a hand, and grasped the black-forged sword as it swung towards him again, the metal smoking in his energy-filled grip. He pulled it towards him, and kneed the ram in the chest, winding him.

"You are _clueless!"_

Punch. One after another, directly on Khrysomamon's helmet. The sheep fell to one knee, but a kick to the jaw sent him keeling sideways instead.

 _"Thoughtless!"_

Another kick, and Khrysomamon coiled up, his golden fleece flickering gently. Dallurmon raised a sword of white fire, only to jolt with pain, as Osteomon's jaw clamped around his wrist, drawing blue blood. Dallurmon sneered.

"You preach innocence but you are agents of devastation! Every single goddamn one of you!"

He spun around and struck Osteomon in the side with his key arm; the metal not sharp or long enough to cause damage, but painful enough to send the sea monster backwards a few paces. She planted a foot on the ground, and raised her arms.

" **Tidal Pressure!** "

A torrent of water rushed forth, engulfing Dallurmon. Osteomon braced herself for another blow, the constant battle having drained her severely. Fafnirmon and Ahuizomon stood beside her, and she glanced at them in turn. "Keep an eye on him. He could-"

She never finished. There was a rush of white through the raging torrent as something shot forwards like a torpedo.

" **Sabre of the Just!** "

There was a horrendous cracking, and splinters of the sea monster's armour flew wide, clattering on the drenched stone floor. The blade had cut through one gauntlet, and her shoulder brace, and into the soft flesh beneath. She gasped, the water stained red with her rushing blood.

"You could never understand what manner of evil you are, you insidious creatures!"

As her legs trembled, she saw Dallurmon in front of her, his sword energy spent but with plenty of energy left in his muscles. He jumped, and kicked her square in the chest, sending her skidding back and into a wall. She evaporated on impact, and Joel and Placomon fell together, their bodies lacerated heavily.

" **Emerald Luster!** "

The dragon rushed forwards, immediately tussling with Dallurmon in a blind fury, as Ahuizomon turned to Procoptomon.

" _Guard them. If we catch them in the crossfire like this, we'll kill them."_

"I..." Procoptomon nodded, and quickly and gently rushed over to Lizzie and Mynahmon. The bird was stirring, but still immobile, and Procoptomon rushed them next to the D-Port, keeping them as far back as possible. She did the same with Joel and Placomon, being even more careful. Neonamon watched in horror, but the kangaroo shook her head.

"We have to be doing something right. We...have to be winning this..."

There was a crash as Fafnirmon struck the ground, having been tossed effortlessly by the giant. He rolled and lashed out with a tail, the spike blocking Dallurmon's approaching fist.

" **Serpent Scourge!** "

Dallurmon cried out as the dragon coiled around him, ripping into his flesh and holding him tight. The giant wasted no time; he rushed forwards into the nearest wall, crashing the dragon's body against the rock with enough force to crack it. But Fafnirmon didn't let go, and as Dallurmon staggered back, off-balance due to the dragon's grip, he pulled his coils even tighter, sinking his teeth into Dallurmon's shoulder.

" _ **Abominable Snare!**_ _"_

Dallurmon stumbled, his feet sinking into the sigyl on the ground. Ahuizomon's claws lashed out, wrapping around his torso and pulling him down further. He gnashed his teeth in fury, great swathes of energy coursing off of him and burning Fafnirmon and the surrounding walls, but he was held in place for long enough. The dragon released his vice-like bite, just for a moment, and called out with all his might.

" _Do it! Attack, now!"_

" **Static Slash!** "

" **Burning Blade!** "

A blade of sound from one direction, and a blade of fire from the opposite. It was nearly too much for Khrysomamon, who collapsed to one knee from the sheer exhaustion. Wetamon simply stared as the two attacks crashed into one another, sending a firestorm around the room and making it shudder.

She watched as the smoke cleared.

She tensed again, as Fafnirmon's long, shimmering body slid downwards towards the floor, the burned scales giving way to raw data.

" **Aesir Storm!** "

" _Look out!"_

Another explosion of white fire, even larger and more terrible than ever. It burst through the broken windows, half-melted the office door, purged the corridors and tore great chunks from the ceiling, revealing the full fury of the storm outside. Wetamon held her body close, trying to withstand the blast. On the other side, Procoptomon held her arms wide, barely able to stand amidst the terrible power.

She was the first to open her eyes, as the whipping winds reached all of them. The study had been torn apart, like a flower opening for the first time. All around she could see the spiralling winds and snow and acidic rain that threatened to purge the pillars of any life they may have had. However, in the office, it was bone-dry. They were at the eye of the storm, but it was clear that Dallurmon's power had peaked, and with such a typhoon at his disposal, such power might as well be limitless.

Fafnirmon and Khrysomamon had gone, finally succumbing to Dallurmon's attacks. Yvonne, Alasdair, Arimon and Wyvermon lay sprawled out at the other end of the room, too far for her to notice their breathing. Wetamon was still intact, but her legs were twitching, the barbs broken off and useless, and her wings in tatters. Ahuizomon was lying in his own sigyl, his body prone and unmoving. The kangaroo's own body felt like it was on fire, but she tried to stand regardless. Pieces of her armour fell away, revealing raw skin beneath. She knew she had very little fight left in her.

Not that she had a choice. Dallurmon was marching her way, his arm glowing a brilliant white. Procoptomon raised her arms, but they were swept away by Dallurmon's own. She blocked him again in an instant, her limbs moving almost as in a trance state. She threw a punch, but her vision was blurred. Still, she felt resistance. Dallurmon slid back, and swayed slightly.

" _Die_... _"_

Dallurmon rushed forwards, slamming the brawler with one shoulder. She fell downwards, and he kneed her in the jaw, before grasping her by the neck.

" _Die..."_

She struggled, her legs kicking out, stabbing into the giant's wounded chest – wounded – she writhed in his grasp, but he dragged her back and slammed her head into the wall behind him.

" _Why...won't...you...DIE?"_

She felt something within her rupture with the final impact, and with the last of her energy she lashed out with both legs, taking more flesh from Dallurmon's bleeding chest. He doubled over, and she slid down. Procoptomon devolved before she'd even hit the ground, leaving just the young wallaby prone and cold, and the little girl staring up at the beast above.

Rachel tried to move her legs, but they were slow. Unresponsive. She reached out, grasping Marsuamon by the claw. No movement. Barely any pulse. She could feel something sticky matted in her partner's fur.

Footsteps. Slow, but deliberate. Mustering her strength she pushed herself up, looking at the eight-foot demon as he struggled to stay upright. He grimaced, his beard stained blue with his own blood.

" _Even...now..."_

He raised a palm, holding it over Rachel's forehead as the energy glowed within.

" _No...more..."_

" **Acid Bubbles!** "

Rachel glanced sideways, falling back against the wall as she did so. Neonamon sat up, glaring at the giant above.

" **Acid Bubbles!** "

There were tears in the snake's eyes as he blew stream after stream, but they did nothing. Dallurmon held still, his head held to the side. Neonamon let out a cry.

"These children...these are wonderful creatures...if you kill them I'll...I'll make you pay...for eternity, I will make you...can't you see the beauty they have brought into this world? You were always the most vigilant of us. The watcher and the guardian. Are you so blind against the wonderful future they've offered?" Neonamon sniffed, and blew another stream of bubbles, making Dallurmon twitch slightly. "There's nothing you can do. They've arrived. They've changed our lives. Your life. The world...this world will...see that..."

Rachel stared in awe at the serpent, for a moment distracted from the looming giant above. She tried to reach out a hand, her fingers twitching.

" _Run..."_

Dallurmon tensed his palm, and the glow grew stronger.

" _Nobody...will...ever...remember-"_

There was a sound; a muffled crunch. Dallurmon jerked, and looked down to see three crimson claws sticking through the front of his chest. Blood was pouring. His torso was convulsing. Behind him, Ahuizomon growled, and closed his hand, digging the talons in.

" _Remember me?"_

He wrenched his arm out and staggered backwards, collapsing on the ground himself. Dallurmon stood, stunned just for a second. The energy remained swirling around his hand.

"You bastard..."

He brought his arm up, but it flew wide as his legs collapsed beneath him.

" **Aesir Storm!** "

The blast shot out. It missed Ahuizomon. Rachel. Neonamon. All of them.

But it struck the D-Port dead in the centre.

Rachel's eyes widened in horror as the metal casket split open, sending splinters into the wall. Wires erupted, catching fire. The device seemed to collapse in on itself, the metal and gadgetry frozen in place.

Rachel tried to scream, for all the good it would do now, but no sound could come from her mouth.

As the device collapsed, the energy within remained where it was.

Then it began to expand, the tornado rising once again. Although this time it didn't travel towards the children, but it just grew wider and wider. Gone were the colours, save one. Red. Deepest, darkest crimson, thrashing around wildly, ripping great chunks from the wall and pulsating like a wild thing. The keep shuddered all the more as the tornado split apart, again and again, into tendrils that rushed downwards, shaking the pillars to their core.

They reached deep into the rock, far deeper than Oligomon or Groundramon could ever have gone.

They wrapped around the tendrils of Yggdrasil. And pulled.

There was a horrendous rumbling sound as the pillars and the mountains cracked wide open, data spilling out from the chasms beneath. Energy erupted from the shattered D-Port, some of it striking the sky, some the earth. And a good chunk struck Dallurmon in his chest. He was thrown back, writhing in pain and anguish, and he struck the very edge of the eye of the storm as it began to spiral out of control. With a wordless cry, he was whipped away, lost in his own maelstrom.

Rachel clutched Neonamon tightly, the two barely able to make out any of the others as the remnants of the office was shaken around them. The power of the D-Port let out an inhuman roar as, unconfined and uncontrollable, it began to tear the wall between worlds apart.

* * *

Phorusrhamon shivered, her very data bristling as she saw the storms converging. The fractures were even reaching her, and behind her, the dead pillars and mountains were falling inwards; aeons of Digital sculpting lost forever.

"Oh no..."

She broke into a run, clutching a bundle in her wings. The sky was darkening; she prayed she wasn't too late. Her legs and her body were burning with pain but she didn't care; there was no time to worry about her own condition.

She felt Dallurmon's divine right hand twitching in her grasp, reacting to the cataclysm. The storm had caught her up now; there was no way she could avoid its wrath. Her grip tightened.

"Lord Dallurmon, hold on! I'm coming!"

She took a deep breath, and ran into the typhoon, her cries of pain lost to the wind.

* * *

 _TO BE CONCLUDED..._


	12. Episode 12 (Final): Iron Hand

_**Digimon Inferno: Playing with Matches**_

 _ **Episode 12: Iron Hand**_

* * *

"...up..."

A constant rushing sound, but far away...like the sound of the sea from a bedroom window...or a train passing...or...

"...'ve got...get up..."

Colours and sounds. Swirling and tumbling and turning into one another, and reaching out and

"Rachel, get up!"

The girl's eyes snapped open, and she was back to reality in an instant. George was leaning over her, his hand around her wrist in an awkward manner. She looked down, and pulled it away hurriedly.

"Sorry."

"The D-Port...the D-Port!"

Rachel scrambled to her feet, but fell over again, the dust having made the floor slippery. She could feel moisture on her forehead, and looked up to see the swirling clouds directly above her.

"Ah!"

"It's okay, it's okay!" George reached out, thought better of it, and pulled his arm back. "Dallurmon's gone. The storm can't get us here."

"But...it was...I thought..."

George bent down and picked something up from the floor, two-handed. He held it out towards her. She simply stared.

"This was the best I could do. It was going to tear everything to pieces. But the casing's holding it. Just."

Gently, Rachel took the bundle of wires and metal. It didn't look like a state-of-the-art device anymore; more a sorry, cracked bunch of circuit boards, all wrapped up with wire. Nevertheless, the thing trembled in her arms. The energy was still there, wherever it was coming from. They still had hope.

"Dad's work...you saved it."

George blushed. "I'm a Scout. Not an electrician I'm afraid, but...you know..." He scratched his cheek. "Be prepared and all that. My own father would be proud"

"When you've finished, we need to hurry."

Jiminymon buzzed nearby, and looked around worriedly. Some of the others were coming to, slowly but surely. Marsuamon clutched her muzzle and groaned, and Chupamon gingerly tapped Arimon on the snout, trying to get the sheep to budge. Lucy was knelt next to Lizzie, who was retching, holding her stomach.

"I hate this..."

"Psst."

Rachel looked down and saw Neonamon by her feet, and she reached down to pick him up. The snake was battered and bruised, but seemingly none the worse for wear. He grinned toothlessly. "A battle against Dallurmon with no casualties. I'd say that went better than expected."

"I'm not sure about that."

George put his hands in his pockets, his face grim. "We took a heavy beating. I'm not sure how many of us can even walk."

Lucy looked up. "The storm's coming closer."

So it was. Unsustained by Dallurmon's energy, the maelstrom was beginning to shrink. For now it was wide enough, but they only had a temporary bubble. And they knew it.

Lucy reached down and helped Lizzie sit up, the girl in glasses rubbing her temples. "Sorry everyone. I...tried to keep going."

" _You did well. All of you._ " Chupamon peered around. _"We don't have enough time for this though. We need to get to safety."_

Jiminymon pointed. "What about the archive? It's protected in there; to keep the wall between worlds safe."

 _"How do we get everybody there in time? The rain's picking up, and some of them are still unconscious."_

Lizzie winced in pain, forcing herself to her knees. Too exhausted to stand, she reached into her pockets, pulling out some of Yagamon's crystals.

"Jiminymon, can you open the door?"

Neonamon hopped down, and sat next to the cricket, looking smug. "If she can't I certainly can."

"Thank you, genius, but I do have a memory."

Jiminymon hopped over, and peered up at the lock. Or at least, what remained of it after the onslaught from before. She gave an exploratory hum, and reached out, nudging the edge of the door. It shifted easily, dropping dust in its wake as it swung open.

"Not that it matters. I think your little device did most of the work already."

George nodded. "Then let's get everyone inside."

He ran over to Alasdair, who was on the verge of waking, and pulled him up onto his shoulder. All around, the children and Digimon helped who they could, as the rain began to build.

Lucy peered up at the sky. "Quickly..."

Holding Wyvermon beside her, Chupamon glanced up. _"It's fine. We're going to be fine."_

"Not the rain." Lucy swallowed. "I've got a bad feeling."

Chupamon said nothing. But he picked up the pace.

* * *

Down amongst the wrecked pillars, the administrators and interns and everybody nearby were clinging to shelter, the storm still ravaging the landscape. Nobody stepped out. Nobody dared. The words were already flying; Dallurmon the forsaker. Dallurmon the traitor. Or Dallurmon the defeated.

Nobody had seen Dallurmon. But they had certainly felt everything he'd done.

Alone in the open, Phorusrhamon dragged her broken body forwards. Her legs were worn; sheets of metal, torn and eroded by the terrible rain. Her feathers had been stripped away, leaving red-raw flesh, which glistened in the rain, the data already coming apart. Her wounded eye was now fully closed, useless, and the other one was stained and failing as well. The hole in her chest was getting worse, spewing great chunks of data. But she ignored the pain, clutching the bundle even tighter in her arms.

"Please...still be alive..."

She squinted. There was a figure ahead, lying in the rain. A familiar figure.

She ran, slipping and tripping, and losing even more of her body as she scraped it along the soaking rocks. But she made it, and fell to her knees, the last of her energy gone as she looked down upon Dallurmon's still body. She gasped, horror welling up inside her.

"It can't be...they can't have gotten you too..."

Reaching out impossibly slowly, she placed a hand over the hole in his torso. As her claws touched it, Dallurmon recoiled, coughing up blood. He was severely worse for wear himself, his body stained blue with his own blood. The tattoos over his body had all but faded; he had no energy left. He sat up, and Phorusrhamon saw that the mask had slipped from his face. But even though his eyes were closed tightly, he sat up, and looked towards her. Phorusrhamon gave a smile. He knew. Of course he knew.

"You're alive."

Dallurmon reached out with his key arm, the metal brushing against Phorusrhamon's chest.

"You haven't changed, have you? From all the way back then." He smiled. "You were so young. So willing to serve. Your spirit never left."

The arm clicked as it travelled down, and touched the bundle. Inside, the divine right hand twitched, feeling the presence of its owner. Dallurmon stiffened, pulling his arm away, and looking up.

"Phorusrhamon...what have you done?"

Phorusrhamon placed the bundle on the ground, her arms falling by her sides.

"We still need you, my lord. Only you know...what is right...I couldn't destroy it..."

Dallurmon's face followed the bird as she slowly keeled over, her words barely a whisper.

" _...only you...can stop them...can save...the world...forgive...me..."_

There was a clap of thunder, and the rain worsened, drowning out her words. Dallurmon knelt there, his own storm biting into his flesh. He ground his teeth, his tears melding with the rain on his cheeks.

"You foolish girl."

His arm reached out, caressing her cheek. The skin was rough against his fingertips, the scars evident. He felt around, his eyes still tightly closed.

"I can't do it. I could never wield it again. You could never understand."

His arm touched the bundle, and it recoiled, the hand within grasping at nothing. A tone reached Dallurmon's ears, like that of a horn from a mountaintop. It rushed through him, yet it seemed far away; faint, but audible, and intensely familiar.

"No...I can't..."

He tried to stand up, but his legs were weak from blood loss. His torso was still glistening, the data falling away.

Eyes still closed, he looked down at the bundle in front of him, in the arms of his senior administrator as she held it out. A final gesture on her part.

Dallurmon exhaled, trembling. His eyelids twitched. Flickered.

And slowly, they rose, revealing pure white irises beneath.

Dallurmon gasped as the full extent of the future flooded his mind. He scrabbled around, looking in vain for the mask that suppressed the images; that kept him focused only on the necessary.

But it meant nothing now. Further and further into the future he watched as the world shifted and cracked, the very landscape morphing as years flew by in front of him. It wasn't like the visions through the pool, fuzzy and vague. Instead, with crystal clarity, he saw the land he loved so much burning in front of his eyes, and vanishing, swallowed by the great beast whom he'd sworn to protect against.

And further, past the images he'd seen through the mercury.

Chaos.

Cataclysm.

And then...

Then...

He stiffened. The lightning flashed above him, as he saw the true extent of things to come.

With lightning speed, he reached out, grasping the divine right hand and ripping it away from the bundle of rags. Phorusrhamon's body clattered back, already dissolving. But Dallurmon didn't notice. He could no longer even comprehend the world around him; his eyes lay only on that yet to come.

"I never imagined..."

The keys on Dallurmon's right arm whirred and span, sliding up and down the shaft as the myriad of locks and vessels within lined themselves up, edging ever closer to the forbidden alignment. In his left hand, the great horn began to hum, the energy of life already resonating within. The tubes reconnected after decades apart, twisting around the bone and muscle as it began to beat once again.

"It shall not come to this..."

Dallurmon raised the divine right hand up, sliding his arm's key into the base of the arm, directly into the grey flesh. It pulled itself up, sliding effortlessly into place. The fingers of his right hand twitched, jerked, and clasped together. The horn extended, reaching over his back and wrapping around his neck, digging in with razor-sharp spikes. The giant got to his feet and clenched his fist. Once. Twice. He raised his arm and pointed at the body of Phorusrhamon in front of him. His breath was hoarse, but it resonated throughout the tube, growing in power and ferocity. Up above, Dallurmon's breathing resonated through the rushing winds as he became one with the maelstrom, and the very ground rumbled beneath him as he stepped forwards, marching towards the keep. The divine right hand glowed a brilliant white beside him, and with every step, the energy within resonated and grew, the call of the gods answering his prayer.

" _THEY SHALL NEVER TOUCH THEIR WORLD AGAIN!"_

* * *

"I thought we were dead."

Lizzie looked up, red under her eyes, at Alasdair, who lay back against the shelf of parchments. His skin was glowing slightly; residue from Yagamon's crystals. Yvonne and Lucy had helped to administer the miracle stones, and they were providing temporary relief, although they clearly had no chance of healing the sheer scale of the wounds received by all.

They'd all managed to retreat into the study in time, closing the heavy door and barring it as best they could. It wasn't long before they'd heard great tearing sounds from the other side, as Dallurmon's quarters were torn away. But for the moment, it seemed to be holding. The keep was still standing – a testament to its structure – and up here, at the very top, the private study remained in place, the last resting chamber before the wall between worlds.

They'd found it easily, of course; the great translucent panel seemingly embedded in thin air, shimmering with visions of other worlds. Exhausted as they'd been, they'd tried hard to break through, but it wasn't moving, even with all the damage it had taken. Still, the cracks in the wall were widening, moving visibly now. With each splinter, the noise outside grew louder, like the Digital World itself rejecting their attempts to escape. But they'd come too far to give up now.

George and Rachel were leant over the D-Port, trying to salvage something from the pile of broken electronics. Their hands were nicked and their foreheads were sweating, but they kept going. There was no other choice.

Alasdair glanced over at their work, and placed a hand to his own head. "I can't believe it. We got through all that, and...now. Now of all times it failed."

"It didn't fail."

"Lizzie?"

The girl gritted her teeth as she knelt back, cleaning her glasses. "Nothing's failed. We won. We can fix the D-Port and we can open the gate." She looked up, forcing a smile at the boy. "We've gotten through everything else on a wing and a prayer; why not this?"

Alasdair sat up, and winced, holding his forearm out. He winced as a fresh wound opened up, dribbling blood like a monster's maw. Lizzie shuffled forwards, and tore another strip from her sweatshirt; something she'd been doing a lot of.

"I can do something about that."

Alasdair bit his lip as she wrapped the fabric around the wound, pulling tightly and tying it well. He stared up at her as she pushed her glasses up.

"Thank you. For all you've done."

The girl shook her head slightly. "It's nothing. I was...the first to fall. I tried to fight and I failed." She sniffed, and wiped her face on her sleeve. "I have to repay you for the things I've said; it's not fair-"

She stopped. Alasdair had grasped her hand, and was holding it, gently but firmly.

"You've done as much as all of us. I'm proud to call you a friend."

The girl blushed. There was a flapping of wings and a weight landed on her shoulder; Mynahmon, who wobbled and promptly fell off beside her.

"Whoopsie."

The girl laughed, rubbing her own grazed wrists. "I'm never going to get used to this place."

Mynahmon hopped to her feet. "With any luck you won't have to. It's nearly opening; the gate's about to crack into a hundred pieces and you'll go through and we'll...we'll..."

She broke off; not interrupted like usual. Her crest sagged just a little, and she looked up at the girl.

"Are we ever going to see you again?"

Lizzie opened her mouth, but couldn't think of anything to say. She smiled as reassuringly as she could manage, which, honestly, wasn't very much.

"I think that's everyone."

Yvonne wandered up, holding onto Joel's shoulder as he limped, slow but stable. Placomon hobbled along beside him, looking decidedly frazzled with the whole affair.

"I never should have gotten involved in political struggles. There are no winners. Only pain. So much pain all over. Oww..."

The fish looked up, and noticed Alasdair and Lizzie's melancholic looks. She frowned, and peered up at Joel. "Did I say something I shouldn't have?"

"Hey now..." Yvonne knelt down, and put a hand on Lizzie's messy hair. "We did it, didn't we? We won. The dragon is defeated, and we're going home."

"Maybe." Alasdair sat himself up. "I've got to say...I don't know how to feel about that. Yeah this was a completely horrible experience and I never want to have it again but..." He looked around him, listening to the winds and the rain, seemingly a world away now. "The Digital World grows on you after a while."

Yvonne sighed, placing her hands in her lap. "We're never gonna be the same after this. Heck, we just killed someone. Again."

Lizzie flinched, and Yvonne winced, aware of her mistake.

" _Probably_ killed someone. Let's face it; nobody's convinced he's going to stay dead."

"Of course. That's so much better."

Joel folded his arms, and blew a raspberry. "He was a nasty bully anyway. No-one wants him around anymore."

Lizzie chuckled. "That's politics for you."

She stood up, and stretched. "Honestly, I'm glad."

Yvonne and Alasdair looked up, and blinked in turn. "You are?"

"Not about Dallurmon. About the world. About changing." She held out her hands in front of her; still shaking, even after all this time. "I can see things better. I will change the world. This...this has changed me" She grinned at Yvonne. "I'm...I'm gonna become a doctor. I mean it this time.."

Joel swayed, his hands clasped behind his back. "Liz?"

"Yeah?"

Joel smiled, showing a couple of missing teeth. "You're pretty cool."

"So are you, kid." She knelt down, and ruffled the boy's hair. "We need to keep in touch."

"Don't call me kid."

"Sorry."

Alasdair smiled, and a hand reached down towards him. Yvonne pulled him to his feet, and the two of them smirked as they watched Lizzie and Joel poking fun at one another.

"We've changed, Ali. Everyone's changed. For the better, I think." Yvonne glanced to the side. "You really sure this was a horrible time we had here?"

"You're joking, aren't you?"

"Maybe." Yvonne beamed, the lights of the study glinting off her goggles. "Or maybe it's been fun. Sort of."

Alasdair sighed. "You always were one for adventure. Guess you finally became the hero you always wanted to be."

The girl chuckled, and looked deep into his eyes.

"I couldn't have done it without you."

"Come off it."

"Never."

Alasdair gave her a look, and she raised her hands, her pigtails bobbing on her shoulders. "I'm sorry; we all got through this and we all survived. I'm a little sentimental. Come on Ali, you know very well I'm an idiot."

"Who isn't around here?"

The two were interrupted by a yelp of pain from around the D-Port. Rachel cursed under her breath as a sharp wire caught her finger. She pressed her thumb to her tooth, letting out a long breath. Marsuamon placed a hand on her shoulder, but the girl drew away, just slightly.

"This is horrible! How am I supposed to do this?"

"Calm down." George knelt back, wiping seat from his brow. "This was never going to be easy. Maybe we should give it-"

"Give up? On the life's work of my father? On the only reason I have any purpose around here?"

"That's not true." George shook his head, and reached out, grasping her hand. She resisted, but not much.

"Your father's an incredible man. Far better than mine. But we've managed to get this far, even without his help. The D-Port can be rebuilt." He smiled sweetly. "No matter how long it takes."

There was a chuckle beside them, and Neonamon fluttered his frill. "You humans have amazing technology. Who knows; within a few years there'll be one of these able to fit in the palm of your hands."

George and Rachel looked aside at the little snake, coiled up on Jiminymon's back. The cricket rolled her eyes, and cleared her throat. "You've already revolutionised this world. _You_ have. Not the machine."

"You really think so?"

Jiminymon trilled. "I know so. Show me again, George."

George looked puzzled, and reached into his shirt pocket. "This?"

He pulled out his sketchbook, and the others gathered around, their eyes widening. Marsuamon whistled. "You drew all this?"

"When I had time. I sketch really. Nothing major." The boy blushed, but flipped a couple of pages, showing his work to the people in awe around him. "There's a lot of world out here to explore. Lots of wonderful people, and landscapes." He knelt back, popping the sketchbook back and glancing at Rachel. "I don't want to leave. Not for good, anyway. I promise; when we get back we're going to rebuild the D-Port for good. Dallurmon be damned."

Rachel looked down, clutching the hem of her dress. "It's a wonderful world." She glanced up. At Neonamon. At George. At Marsuamon. "I almost feel like I belong."

She was silent for a couple of moments, before leaning forwards, clutching the loose wires again.

"Come on...one more try..."

The group got back to work, unaware of what they were doing, but determined nonetheless. Behind them, the wall between worlds crackled, showing glimpses of life a world away. Wyvermon lay on his claws, his body scorched and ruined from the battle. He watched as the spider-like cracks made their way across the surface, too thin to be of effect.

"It almost feels wrong."

Beside him, Arimon looked down at the dragon, who looked very world weary, the glimmer in his scales having faded slightly. Gone was the youthful pride which he'd carried throughout their life together; now he looked very small, and frightened.

"How so?"

"We spent our whole lives protecting that arsehole. Now we might well have killed him. But it doesn't feel like we won." He glanced over at Chupamon, who was scraping at the floor with one claw, staying quiet. "Is this how it feels? Fighting against the things that made your life?"

" _Does it feel bad?"_

The dragon shrugged. "Not really. It's not bad he's gone. He really went off the deep end."

Arimon placed his hands on his knees. "So what now? We can't go back to our old lives."

" _If we had old lives to go back to."_ Chupamon sighed, and got to his feet, resting on his knuckles. " _For what it's worth, I'm sorry. Truly I am. You probably wouldn't be in this mess if I hadn't been mucking around in your village back then."_

"I don't think we can blame you for any of this." Arimon sat back, curling his toes. "Who knows how we got here, to this place?"

Chupamon humphed, and sat back, his eyes darting over to Lucy. The girl was staring at him, her nail in her mouth. He smirked.

" _At least we got a few good things out of this whole business."_

She stepped forwards and kneeled down in front of him, putting her hands on his shoulders.

"Come with us."

Chupamon blinked, and stared at Lucy. The girl's face was completely straight.

"You could come with us. Come back home. To our world."

Chupamon's mouth fell open, just a little. He tried to speak, but no words came. All around, the murmurs and muttering had fallen silent, leaving only the dim hum from the gate behind them.

Lucy smiled. "I don't want to leave you. You're my best friend."

" _I...I..."_ Chupamon reached up gingerly and held her wrist, being careful not to dig in with his talons. _"...you're mine too, but...we couldn't-"_

"There's no way we could just...leave..." Arimon looked around at the other partners. "Is there?"

There was a moment's silence.

"Why not?"

Alasdair and Lizzie looked at one another. "Yvonne? You can't...be serious..."

"I can. I am. I'm always serious; you just don't appreciate it." Yvonne stood up, and walked over to Arimon. "Maybe you've got nothing to go back to. But out there; that's our world. Don't you want to see it?" She grinned, and patted him on the head. "This doesn't have to end here. This is only just the beginning."

Joel sniggered, and knelt down beside Placomon. "No-one would mess with me if you were around."

Alasdair beamed, leaning back against the wall as he looked down at Wyvermon. "We'll show you the worth of what you've done."

Lizzie stroked an excited Mynahmon as she rested on her shoulder. "I might need to explain you to a few people...you're a bit big for a budgie..."

George smiled at Jiminymon, Neonamon poking his head up from her back. "It's a big world out there. And who knows? Maybe someday we could all come back here."

Rachel looked down at the D-Port, then at Marsuamon, who stood beside her, smiling triumphantly. "We can stay together. We belong together.

Rachel gave a small smile, and nodded. "Yeah...yeah, we can. All of us. We...can change our world as well...as this one..." She reached up, brushing away a few tears from her cheeks. "We must have been destined for this."

Chupamon pulled himself away from Lucy's arms, holding his shoulders close. " _Would you really be okay with...me? Coming with you?"_

Lucy nodded seriously, her deep green eyes staring into his pale ones.

"Yes. Always. You're my best friend."

Chupamon's body unfurled, and his eyes opened wider than ever before.

"There's a light!"

Everyone looked at George, who was pointing downwards into the D-Port. Neonamon hopped forwards, his smile wide as his face was illuminated.

"There's a light, there's a light! It's working! The D-Port is working!" He beamed up at everyone as they crowded around, the white glistening in his eyes.

"We can all go home..."

* * *

"Look," shouted one of the administrators, clutching his wings over his head against the rain, "someone else is out there."

Anomalocarimon was less than enthused. "It's too much. The storm will kill us before we can reach him."

"No, look, it's..." The Angemon pointed. "It's Lord Dallurmon!"

A cheer went up around the administrators as they crowded around within their shelter, shouting words of encouragement.

"We believe in you, Dallurmon!"

"Take the fortress back!"

Dallurmon didn't answer. He just kept running, and as he got closer, they saw his divine right hand. It was glowing, the horn building and building and filling with bright energy.

He slowed. And stopped. His skin was pockmarked, but the ornate horn was unblemished, the metal twisting around his neck. He turned towards them, and they saw the whites of his eyes. Now the cheering had stopped, and murmurs sprung up.

Anomalocarimon felt a rough shove from behind, and he was out in the storm. He tried to press himself back, but even so he still felt the pressure of all those behind upon him, as well as the deep, dark aura ahead. He shuffled forwards, the rain piercing his shell, but leaving the rest of him intact, until he stood at Dallurmon's feet. The giant was staring back at the ground now, muttering.

"... _wrong...wrong...it's all wrong...none of this was supposed to happen-"_

"My lord?"

" _Where are the children?"_

The insect jumped, feeling the ferocity of Dallurmon's gaze upon him. He raised a shaking claw, and pointed upwards.

"At the top of the keep. Where...where you left them..."

Dallurmon turned, and trudged forwards again.

"Please, my lord! Save us!"

Dallurmon stopped, but didn't turn around. He was muttering again, but Anomalocarimon couldn't hold it back. "Please...several of us have died...you have to call the storm away, or we'll all...you'll lose everyone...we can't survive like this..."

" _Save...you..."_

Anomalocarimon bowed his head low. "We believe in you. We can help you."

Dallurmon shook his head, vigorously, almost robotically. " _No...no, you can't. Save you? There is nothing to save. It's all wrong."_

He turned, and looked down at the insect, who had his eyes tightly closed. Dallurmon raised his right hand.

 _"_ _ **Sonorous Knell!**_ _"_

There was a flash of bright light. One moment, Anomalocarimon lay in the storm, ready and waiting. Then the light hit him. He gave one last gasp, as his breath was ripped away from him. His body remained, grey-fleshed, frozen where it stood. Dallurmon raised a foot, and brought it down, the hollow shell crumbling to data bits. Nothing remained.

Dallurmon stood for a second, wild-haired and mad-eyed. Then he raised his hand again, and pointed it at the shelter.

" _ **Sonorous Knell!**_ _"_

The screaming was terrible. Some tried to run, or fly, but they couldn't get far in the storm. Others held their hands over their heads, trying to block out the sounds of their companions final gasps, or of Dallurmon's constant, maddened rants. It was brutal, but brief. Dallurmon's power was beyond anything they could have imagined. Within moments, Dallurmon's entire staff lay prone, the hollows that had been their bodies now dissolving away as if they were dust in the wind. Dallurmon stood there, his eyes darting back and forth and his arm moving instinctively.

 _"It was all a MISTAKE! I was WRONG to believe in any of you! Believe in ANYTHING in this world. It has no chance. None of you have any chance, nor me, nor the children. Save you? There is only one way!"_

 _"_ _ **Thunderous Legion!**_ _"_

Dallurmon felt the cold point of a spear strike his shoulder, and he turned to see Geryomon, barely standing, but holding the blade of pulsing energy in all six of his arms. He dug it deeper, his red eye glowing bright.

"You're Dallurmon?"

" _Perhaps once."_ Dallurmon narrowed his eyes, the white irises whirling. " _What's it to you?"_

"Just curious. I've never met you before." Geryomon's eye contracted, rare fury welling inside.

"I wanted to know what kind of Digimon it was who could destroy so many of us and still claim to be noble."

Dallurmon roared, and clutched the spear, breaking it off with ease. Geryomon raised two stony palms, but Dallurmon's leg lashed out, striking him and sending him skidding backwards. He stood in the doorway, breaths racking his inorganic body, as Dallurmon swayed on his feet. Bright white blood dripped from the end of his horn, the power of the hand feeding off his own diminishing life. Beneath his tattered skin, his blood vessels were luminescent, pulsating visibly. His helmet had fallen off, discarded in the mud.

One step.

Two steps.

Geryomon held out his arms in the gateway, summoning his shields.

"I'm disappointed. I thought you were meant to be someone great."

" _None of it matters to you."_

Geryomon chuckled. "No, we never did. Our kind."

" _You are mistakes."_

"The children are going home, Dallurmon. I will not let you reach them. **Gygas Typhoon!** "

He swung, but only got in two hits before Dallurmon swiped him away, his breath coming out ragged gulps.

" **Thunderous Legion!** "

Another strike, this time on Dallurmon's thigh. The giant stumbled, but his blood pulsed, shattering the magical spear. Geryomon tried to summon another, but it just flickered away in his stony palm. For a brief moment he thought about Yagamon, and wondered how long it would take her to heal him from something like this. Probably not long. She was always clever like that.

The golem held his arms out wide.

"Leave them alone. They're going home."

" _It's too late. They've seen this world. They will return and kill this world. All worlds."_ Dallurmon's left hand went up, and struck his own eye socket, rolling around the edge. Geryomon could see the maddened orb glowing even through the skin of his hand.

"You are the one who's brought ruin on your own land."

" _They are the ones who will ruin many lands to come."_

"You have no right. No reason."

" _Then I am beyond reason. And let my final act be right. It's them, or everything else."_ Dallurmon laughed, and raised his divine right hand, the energy swirling within. _"Why am I talking to you? You don't have a choice."_

Geryomon exhaled. "Not anymore, it seems." His eye flicked up, glowing dimly, but accusingly against the black sky.

"May you forever be remembered as a demon. A killer of those who would serve and protect you. Through all my authority, I curse your data and your name."

" _Authority? Whose?"_

"The proud heritage of the Nightmare Soldiers. That's who."

There was a clap of thunder. The direful horn sounded, and Geryomon was gone. Saved from the horrific times to come. The golem's body dissolved, and Dallurmon rushed forwards into the keep.

* * *

The device reached out, bright and shaking, the light flickering slightly but with presence. The children gathered around as the wall between worlds groaned above them, the cracks speeding their journeys along the crystalline structure.

Joel stared up, holding tightly onto Placomon. "It's...pretty..."

Alasdair held his jaw shut. Yvonne held out her hand, and grasped his, nodding as she did so. "Brave heart, everyone. It's opening."

They jumped as the floor rumbled beneath them; signs of something approaching fast. Lucy flinched, feeling the oncoming footsteps. George held his arms out, grasping her and Lizzie tightly.

"I can see people!"

Lizzie pointed, and the others noticed as well. Vague silhouettes, just beyond the gate, as if they were being seen through jelly. It was the human world. Another place, another time, but definitely the world they'd left behind not a few days before. There were little pulses of light, and the remnants of the D-Port stretched out, forming links and chains with...something...on the other side. Pieces of the wall between worlds fell away into the nothingness in between.

George looked down at Neonamon, at Arimon and Wyvermon, at all the Digimon around them, clutching one another. "Are you ready?"

The cricket hummed quietly. "Just breathe. Just...brea-"

"A few seconds."

"Something's getting closer."

George took a deep breath. "Be careful everyone. I think it's going to-"

 _"_ _ **Sonorous Knell!**_ _"_

There was a flash of light, and the group was blasted apart. Chupamon and Marsuamon scrambled to their feet first, and stared at the doorway to the study, where Dallurmon stood. The celestial horn smoked in his right hand, blue blood running down it. The giant was grinning, his breath coming out in clouds and his eyes darting back and forth.

" _I got you..."_

 _"GEORGE!"  
_

The boy was kneeling in front of the gate, suddenly breathing very quickly. There was a light smouldering in the small of his back; a pinprick by anyone's standards. But the light was spreading, his flesh turning grey.

Lizzie scrambled forwards, thrusting her arms around him, followed by Lucy. Yvonne forced herself to her feet, throwing her arms out. One by one, child and Digimon alike gathered around the boy, standing between him and the tyrant at the door. Dallurmon gave a couple of hysterical laughs.

" _You will all die...together..."_

He raised his horn.

Alasdair stumbled, his own wounds causing him pain. "We were so close..."

There came a croaking voice from behind him; words forced out through a volley of pain and shock.

 _"...about..."_

Alasdair jumped, and turned to George, whose entire torso was flickering, trying and failing to reject the virus coursing through his veins. George bit his lip, drawing blood.

 _"...hold on...it's..."_

"Don't talk...we'll get you home...it's going to be fine."

 _"Your kind will never corrupt this world again."_

" _...it's about to-"_

With the sound of a thousand waterfalls, the gate blew open.

There was a bang, and a discharge from the remains of the D-Port, shaking everybody's bodies around it. All around them the very floor of the keep ruptured, pieces of rubble floating up into the air and spiralling away into the shattered void. Beyond, the images of people seemed to move further and further away, the mysterious light of the Interface storming through like a fire from an enclosed building.

It reached out, a myriad of colours and impossibilities. It touched the eyes of the children, and their partners, and Neonamon...and Dallurmon.

Dallurmon jerked as he saw the fullness of the Interface, pure and unfiltered. He threw his arms down, and staggered, letting out an inhuman scream that echoed around the fractured keep. Outside the storm turned ferocious and out of control, a typhoon that lashed at the mountains around.

" **NOOOOOOOOO!** "

The children watched in horror as Dallurmon's left arm scrabbled at his neck, the claws digging in beneath the coil of the pipe. It groaned in protest, the energy within dripping out and mixing with blue blood.

" _It wasn't...it's too much...it wasn't supposed to BE THIS WAY!"_

Dallurmon brought the horn up to his mouth, and bit down hard. There was the sound of tearing flesh, and the echoing screech of the divine horn as it fought back against its master's will. But Dallurmon was strong until the end. In front of the gate, the children watched in horror as Dallurmon's right arm fell away, the keys clattering against the floor and the blood running freely. But it wasn't enough.

 _"Get out. GET OUT! GEEET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"_

The giant fell to his knees, his eyes spinning in their sockets. They were rainbow now, the fullness of the interface tainting them. Corrupting them. Showing him everything that would be. Could be. Had to be. Would ever be. Never should be. Vision upon vision upon vision; countless worlds, countless lives and countless possibilities, all rushing in at once.

He brought up his remaining hand, and placed it firmly over his face, tears streaming down his cheeks.

" _I don't want to see any more..."_

The children looked away as he dug in with his blunt claws, gouging away at the eye sockets and into the very flesh. They didn't want to see any more either. But they heard it.

Oh god, did they hear it all.

When they looked back, Dallurmon's body had gone. Only his right arm remained, still twitching. The earth shifted again, and that too was lost. Swallowed by the Digital World itself, with the deadly horn still twisted around it.

And the children held tightly to one another as the rest of the ground fell away, and they were lifted up. They tried to hold on, but the Interface was lunging at them. Forcing them to open their eyes, and take in its majesty.

There was a sound rushing all around them. Some of them tried to speak, but their words were lost. Only a hollow rushing of waves, and the faintest sound of a whistle.

"...too much..."

"...can't get on..."

"...never make..."

"...I'm sorry..."

Rachel opened her eyes, the colours swimming everywhere. The D-Port was still floating, travelling towards the Interface. Unhindered, somehow. The world fell apart around them as she looked down, and saw figures. Seven small creatures, some of them struggling in others' grasps, some crying, some standing solemnly. Marsuamon stood at the head, reaching out with one stubby arm, and holding someone by the hand. Rachel looked down. It was her hand.

The D-Port shuddered, and the children turned one by one, shouting for their partners amidst the noise. Rachel tightened her grip, shaking her head.

" _No..."_

Marsuamon shook her head, and smiled, tears in her eyes.

"Live well, all of you."

She let go. The D-Port drifted up, tearing the children away. Their cries were heard now, haunting the ears of their partners below.

 _"Come back!"_

 _"Please!"_

" _Don't leave me!"_

 _"Don't go..."_

" _I love you!"_

" _No..."_

There was a roar, and the gate reached out, opening its multicoloured maw and pulling the D-Port inside.

Rachel got one last look at her partner – her true partner, now and forever – as she reached out in vain.

Then the picture grew fuzzy. Pixellated. And disappeared altogether.

* * *

The gate fell in on itself, disappearing forever from the mountain. But where the gate had been just moments before, something else had to take its place. The mountain was therefore willing to oblige, and in seconds, it was tearing itself apart.

The Digimon ran; lone survivors amongst the falling ruins and rubble. Some of them were already falling, the grief and anger and raw power of the Interface already eating away at their minds. One by one, they slipped into unconsciousness. Arimon stayed upright the longest, pressing forwards and pushing the others out the door, and down, down the crumbling pillars and into the valleys below; once a picturesque fortress, and now nothing but rubble. He reached out, still seeing Yvonne in the corners of his mind, though her face was already fading.

Then he too slipped into blackness.

His eyes flashed open, and he saw feet. Huge feet. Rows upon rows of armour, standing right in front of him. Something curled around his arm, and he was pulled upright, thrown backwards with the rest of the Rookies as a great armoured figure bent down, flames spurting from his chestplate and curved stag's horns reaching up from his helmet.

Arimon spluttered. He could recognise that anywhere.

"General Muspelmon!"

He pushed himself upwards, his eyes wide. He wasn't mistaken. The pillars had fallen, and the outside world had finally been able to enter the Echo Quadrant. And, true to their dedication and diligence, the Fire Kingdom had been the first. And they'd come in force.

Beneath his helmet, Muspelmon's eyes narrowed, and the ranks of soldiers tensed up behind him. "Where's Dallurmon?"

"Dallurmon...?" Arimon looked around, at the terrified looks of his companions. "Dallurmon...he..."

"We saw the storm. We felt the damage. Hundreds around this area are dead, and Lord Dallurmon is nowhere to be found. Only the eight of you. You must know."

Muspelmon raised his great battleaxe, resting it on his shoulders.

"Where is your master?"

"I...I..."

 _"Answer me!"_

" _Dallurmon's gone!"_

Arimon started, and slowly looked to his left, watching as Chupamon, grazed and wounded, stepped forwards slowly. The others watched behind him. None of them dared speak.

"Gone?"

" _All of this was because of me. Dallurmon's dead._ "

Chupamon bowed low, and sat down, looking up at the Fire General with his immensely pale eyes.

" _I killed him..."_

Muspelmon was silent. There were a couple of murmurs amongst his soldiers as they stared down at the tiny purple devil. Arimon shook his head, and stood up. "No! I killed Dallurmon!"

There was a rush, as one by one, the others stood up and joined the two of them.

"No, I did!"

"It wasn't their fault."

"He was a tyrant, he was-"

" _Silence!"_

The Rookies fell silent, as the great Fire General held his hand to his mouth, surveying the destruction that had befallen this once proud land. He shuddered, feeling the remnants of something nearby. Something terrifying.

"You..."

The general's hand curled around his battleaxe, staring down at the eight tiny Digimon before him, all awaiting their judgement.

A moment passed, and he lowered his arm, nodding at the soldiers directly behind him.

"I need you all to come with me."

The soldiers parted, and beckoned the group forwards. Slowly, they began to move. Arimon paused, and glanced back over the devastation.

"Where do we go now?"

He felt Muspelmon's presence over him, and stared up into the general's face. The great warrior shook his head.

"Anywhere but here."

* * *

 _It wasn't like the first time._

 _The first time had been a rush of noise and colours that had racked their bodies through to the core. A maelstrom; painful, terrifying, and over in seconds._

 _But now, the device was malfunctioning. They travelled slowly. They saw the true marvellous horror of the tunnel around them; a vortex of impossibilities that reached out, grasping at them and digging deep into their minds. There was no sound in the Interface, yet, no silence either. No up or down. No time, no space, yet all time and space at once. A pathway between worlds, never meant for human or Digimon to see._

 _They held on, because there was nothing else to do. Slowly, ever so slowly, the threads tightened, pulling them along. The portal was getting closer, infuriatingly so. At the head of the group, Yvonne reached out. He could almost feel it. Some of them were still reaching back, trying to bring their partners who they could no longer see._

 _Lizzie and Alasdair held tightly onto George. The boy wasn't moving. He was barely breathing. Lizzie tried to fumble inside her pockets, looking for any last crystals, but she couldn't even feel where her hands were. George's lower body was grey, the surface of his skin cracked like stone. The divine horn blew away all life in the end; digital or human alike. The last resort. The mark of the end._

 _The D-Port jerked, and the children hung on tightly._

 _Too tightly._

 _With a silent crunch, George's body began to break apart at the waist, crumbling to dust. He turned, and the children saw his eyes were open. He reached out, almost lethargically, and tried to call out._

 _No sound. And yet his scream all around them, growing louder as they were pulled towards the portal._

 _Alasdair reached out, grasping George's hand in his._

 _The boy's fingers crumbled away in his hand._

 _In a few seconds, which might have been hours, they were gone, leaving one of their party behind._

* * *

They fell in a heap, their screams carrying over across dimensions. It was raining, and there were flowers all around them; fields of yellow daffodils, drooping, running water from their leaves.

Lizzie got to her knees and rushed towards the D-Port, her sodden fingers clawing at it. Rachel did the same, gritting her teeth and cutting her fingers on the broken metal. Lizzie was shaking, the hysterics reaching her. "We have to...we have to go back inside...he's still there!"

"Lizzie..."

 _"Please! We were...all coming...HE'S NOT HERE!"_

She brought her fists round, but it turned into an embrace as Yvonne held her friend tightly, raindrops collecting on her goggles. Rachel still scrabbled in the dirt, trying to repair the device which she knew in her heart was gone forever. Joel lay on his side, crouched in a ball, and looking ahead at nothing in particular. Lizzie screams rung around the field, along with Lucy's sobbing, as she lay on her knees, still reaching out for Chupamon.

Alasdair stood on his own, the rain and the voices seeming faraway in his head. He got to his feet, then fell down, coughing and spluttering. He felt sick.

Slowly he got up again, and looked out across the field. It seemed grey and black, all the colour gone from the world he once thought he knew.

"We're home..."

* * *

 _The boy floated in the void, his arm still outstretched and his mouth frozen in a call for help._

 _He could still see them. And the Digital World, come to think of it. His legs twitched, still in agony. He couldn't see them, but he could see his fingers. Or the ghosts of his fingers, at least, with the bones rustling beneath them. He could feel the Interface caressing him. Correcting him. Fixing him. Maybe? He wasn't sure._

 _Seconds passed. He could feel tears on his cheeks. Or maybe he couldn't._

 _He spoke, in a voice which only he could hear._

 _"Let me...come...home..."_

 _Where was home?_

 _"Let...me...out..."_

 _There was someone waiting for him._

 _"I'm...coming...home..."_

 _"Father, I'm...here..."_

 _"Anyone..."_

 _"It...it hurts..."_

 _"Let me..."_

 _Come home_

 _let me out_

 _daddy_

 _it hurts_

 _please_

 _let_

 _me_

 _out_

* * *

 _ **Epilogue**_

* * *

 _ **England, September 2012**_

* * *

 _They never did figure out what had happened to us._

 _They found us shortly after, soaked to the skin, and several miles from the lab. To tell the truth they hadn't been looking for us. They assumed we'd all died in the explosion. But somehow we'd escaped, and travelled halfway across the country. In two days._

 _Some of us tried to tell them. Some of us kept quiet. Not that it mattered anyway; there was nothing we could say that would let them believe us. Would you? All the evidence of the portal's existence was lost in the fire, along with the computers. The D-Port was just a pile of scrap metal lying in a field somewhere. Though they never figure out why they couldn't find George. But then again, he was just another missing child; one of dozens every year. The public never cared. We were forgotten._

 _Dr. Glover was arrested on charges of gross negligence. Even when he was released, he never touched the Digital World again. We were all of us questioned again and again over the months and years that followed. What had really happened to us? Where was George? What was the Digital World and what were these strange, otherworldly creatures we kept mentioning? But they never really wanted to know; I guess, in the end, they didn't care. In the end, they dismissed it as just a group prank. Kids will be kids. Sure, someone died but...come on, what do you care?_

 _One by one we left each other; some of us were dragged away from the country, while others of us just moved on with our own lives. Life seemed to go back to normal. Except it wasn't. Not really._

 _You don't have something change your life like that and just forget about it._

 _I always wondered whether I'd see it again. Sometimes I wondered whether it had all been a dream. Then I think back once again, and I can feel the dust and the grass beneath my feet, and see the wondrous creatures and feel the exhilaration as I myself turned into a hero. Whether once again, we could see that world that, by complete accident, we'd opened up._

 _Although maybe it wasn't an accident. Maybe it was meant to be. A new beginning for both our worlds._

 _And then, as if by magic, it reappeared in the sky. More children, who disappeared just like we did, although for far longer this time. And then again, with the monster that came back through. A national incident, but gone and dealt with in a flash. Saved by mighty heroes with incredible powers, they say. Though there's no official proof. Oh, there's people who know now, and they're working behind the scenes to make sure there never will be any real proof. But that doesn't change anything. The gate's still there. I saw it again. In my lifetime, I saw the Digital World once again. Though it had changed a bit._

 _Things have changed now. People know things. People have their own wonderful, mysterious lives, and they see the Digital World and it's just a part of life. I do wonder how things are going to change. I certainly don't think we've seen the last of the Digimon tamers._

 _I'm sitting here now, old and tired as I type away. Being a human has its disadvantages. My mind's still as sharp as ever, but the fingers won't do what I tell them to._

 _I suppose, back then, we'd had no idea what would come of it. Just a few days in the Digital World. Pioneers. I wonder...this world here, right now? Was this what Dallurmon saw back then? A new world, where humans and Digimon would reach out for one another? Did he see the ashes of the Digital World as it burned, or the flecks of loose data as it was devoured?_

 _Who knows._

 _Well...we know._

 _How true it was going to be._

 _What was going to come to pass._

 _We were so innocent back then. Lost children, wandering a new world._

 _It was terrible._

 _It was frightening._

 _It was...so, so beautiful. And it always will be._

 _The light is fading again. I know we'll see each other soon._

 _Farewell, my love._

* * *

 _THE END OF THE BEGINNING..._

 _AND THE BEGINNING OF THE END._

 _THE STORY WILL CONTINUE IN DIGIMON CHASM_


End file.
